Dreams Are What Pokemon Are Made Of
by yellowedge
Summary: UPDATE! Chapter 5 Now Uploaded! Dami recovers from her battle with Falkner, only to lose her way to Azalea Town! She winds up in the Ruins of Alph where she meets Monkey, Yellow's older brother, spelunking for fossils. But is he allowed to?
1. CH 01: Dami Chooses a Pokemon!

Dreams Are What Pokemon Are Made Of

A Dreams Are What Life is Made Of / Pokemon Fanfiction.

This is only for use on . Do NOT publish as your own work.

All Pokemon Characters, Items, and Locations are copyrighted to Nintendo, Creatures, and Game Freak. Their permission was not asked for when writing this work, but this story is NOT intended for profit, but solely for entertainment.

All DAWLIMO Characters are mine.

Does everybody got that?

Good! On with the story!

**Chapter 1: Dami Chooses a Pokemon!**

Until about five months ago, Dami Owl was an ordinary teenage girl. She was about 5 feet, 8 inches tall, weighed approximately 120 pounds, and turned 16 years old at the aforementioned five months ago. Her hair was a very light blue, almost like the sky on a clear day. Her eyes were green like a lime. She had three unusual birthmarks; one in the shape of a Star on her right cheekbone, one in the shape of a Heart on her left cheekbone, and one that looked like a fruit with long leaves tapering down on each side nestled on her chest, right above her modestly sized breasts. The only trouble was, on the candles of her birthday cake, she made a wish that proves the old saying "Be careful what you wish for" more like a threat; she wished that all of her dreams would come true.

Big mistake.

Since then, Dami has had to learn the art of Lucid Dreaming from a 100-year-old elf by the name of Elogas Centurion in order to combat a group of demons who exist only in the world of dreams, known as the Akumu-Oni-Kiritsu. Each one represented one of the seven deadly sins, and their leader, Gekirin the Wrath, who always wore a mask that was half-white, half-black, and a long cape which concealed his massive figure, wanted to use Dami's newly granted dream powers to break open the barrier between the real world and the dream world.

So, how does Elogas train Dami in Lucid Dreaming?

Manga. Comics. That's how.

Elogas trained Dami based on the theory that people tend to dream about the last thing they experience before going to sleep. By using hypnosis, Elogas can force Dami to sleep right after reading a Comic so she becomes a character in that Comic, gaining abilities based on the Comic's premise.

On that note, here is where Dami's Pokemon Adventure Begins.

As the school bell rang for the last time that year at Libido High School, Dami went to her locker to gather all of her belongings. She was feeling a little anxious, and no wonder! On top of trying to maintain a GPA of 3.0 or higher, she had spent the last five months fighting the Akumu-Oni-Kiritsu, trying to, in the process of exorcising the demons from her classmates, awakening one of the guardians of virtue and royal guard of Queen Lucidia, the Kishi-Jin. So far, she only managed to awaken two Kishi-Jin; Ninkyou the Generosity, who resembled a monkey wearing a pink gi and wielded a staff which could extend to incredible lengths, and Kokumei the Diligence, who resembled a muscular human in every way except for his head, which resembled a horse. These Kishi-Jin have opted to be the personal guardians of two of Dami's classmates; Dora Nanako, the richest girl in school who had to overcome her desire to be wealthy in order to unlock Ninkyou's power, and Chad Phillips, the captain of the Libido High School football team, who had to overcome his lazy habits in order to bring Kokumei to the light.

Dami fiddled with the combination lock on her locker when she got bumped from behind. Frustrated at forgetting her combination, she turned around to face the one responsible. It was Hajime Hawkins. He dressed in the school's all-black uniform, but defied the norm by smoking whenever he had a chance, and making his hair into a Mohawk. When viewed in profile, Hajime's head looked like a crescent moon with a small pointy nose sticking out the middle. "Bitch. Why do you keep getting in my way?"

"Excuse me? I was trying to open my locker, when YOU made me forget the combination!" Dami crossed her arms defiantly.

"You didn't answer my question. I need my smokes, and you're standing between me and them!" Hajime balled up his fist, ready to hit Dami at any moment.

Dami thought to herself, _"I could take him! He has been possessed by Kentan the Gluttony several times now, and each time, Kentan ate a bunch of junk not fit for human consumption! He's had more surgery than a Hollywood Movie Star!"_

Hajime punched the locker, narrowly missing Dami's head. "I'm only going to ask you one more time, girl. Move it, or I'll cut off your hair and SMOKE THAT!"

Dami decided to take the high road and stomp on Hajime's foot instead.

"OW! THAT HURT, YOU ROTTEN BITCH!" Hajime howled.

"Not as much as it COULD have, double-H! Besides! Smoking is bad for you, especially since you seem to keep winding up in the emergency room!" Dami smirked as she remembered the first time Kentan possessed Hajime. Kentan interpreted Hajime's chain-smoking as a form of gluttony and possessed him right away, eating everything in the school cafeteria, including the sneeze guard!

Hajime's jaw dropped, and he hobbled away on his good foot. _"Damn! This time last year, she was so timid and meek! Where the hell did all this confidence come from?!"_

Dami then looked around, making sure no one was around, and then she closed her eyes and used the Lucidia Royal Treasure to automatically work the combination on her locker. With a click, it was open.

"_Thank you, dream magic!"_ she thought as she opened her eyes. She picked up her backpack, which was much nicer than the one she had last year. Dami received it as a gift from Dora shortly after overcoming Tanran the Greed. Well, the backpack was among MANY other things, but I won't go into too much detail here.

As she closed her locker, an announcement was made over the school's PA system: "Will Dami Owl please report to the guidance counselor's office? I repeat; will Dami Owl…"

"Ugh… not again…" Dami grunted. She filled her backpack and found her way to the guidance counselor's office, where she found… "Elogas Centurion! What's the big deal calling me here on the last day of classes?!"

Elogas was sitting at his desk. Yes. Elogas used the position of Libido High School's guidance counselor to monitor all of the student's to find this century's Chosen One; Dami Owl, of course. He had his long brown hair tied behind his head in a pony tail, just so he could cover up his long, pointed ears. He always dressed in standard business attire; a white collared shirt with a plain black necktie and brown dress pants. He adjusted his square-framed glasses as he spoke to Dami. "Now you know I couldn't let you abuse that Hawkins kid after all he's been through. After all, he's had enough open stomach surgery to make a great white shark queasy."

"I only stomped on his foot! And I know better! That isn't why you called me in here, now is it?" Dami put her hands on her hips defiantly.

Elogas' glasses shined as a car passed by, reflecting the light of the sun. "Well, your intuition has certainly improved since we started. That aside, I detected that you used dream magic to open your locker just now. I thought we agreed NOT to use it unless there was an Oni present."

"I FORGOT MY COMBINATION, OKAY?!" Dami threw her backpack into the chair across from Elogas that was usually reserved for student-counselor conferences. "Hajime bumped me as I was doing my combination and it slipped my mind! Besides, I made sure no one saw me when I used it!"

"Be that as it may," Elogas started, "Your dependence on dream magic is becoming way too much of a liability. If someone catches you using it, I'll have to drop whatever I'm doing and use my hypnosis to erase their memories!"

Dami crossed her arms. "You know I hate it when you do that! I hate having to sneak around while fighting the Oni, and I would prefer it if I could get a little extra help once in a while!"

Elogas removed his glasses and used a microfiber cloth to wipe away the smudges. "Yet I have no choice but to do so! If people get involved in this, then their will be casualties that I don't want on my conscience! As it is, I feel bad about dragging your classmates Dora and Chad into it!"

Dami pointed her index finger at Elogas. "And yet it seems the only way for a Kishi-Jin to awaken is for someone who has strong inclinations to a deadly sin to overcome it, and I think my classmates all have their demons to hide! SO TAKE THAT!"

Elogas frowned as he put his glasses back on. "Still, we're not sure which of your classmates is compatible with the remaining Kishi-Jin, if they even go to Libido High School at all! The point I'm trying to make here is, while your dream magic as drastically improved over the last few months, your physical body leaves something to be desired."

Elogas was slapped by Dami at that moment. "I BEG YOUR PARDON! I think I'm hot for someone who was abused by her father most of her life!"

Elogas rubbed his cheek, unflinching. "No, Dami, that was uncalled for. I didn't mean your physical appearance; what I meant was the fact that while your magic has improved, your physical abilities have more or less remained the same."

Dami sheepishly threw her arms behind her back. "Oops! Sorry!"

Elogas reached into his briefcase. "We are going to work on that, Dami. For your next Lucid Dreaming Experience, I'm going to give you this to get you started." Elogas then pulled out a small device with a uniformly symmetrical cross on the left side just below the screen, two round buttons labeled "A" and "B" on the opposite side, and two smaller oval shaped buttons labeled "START" and "SELECT" at the bottom of the unit. The screen was perfectly square, with a small light next to it on the left side to indicate when the power was on.

Dami quizzically looked at it. "A Game Boy?"

Elogas swiftly but gently hit Dami on the head with it. "Game Boy COLOR, thank you very much. This is the second device in Nintendo's history to allow Game Boy games to be played with a color palette, the first being a cartridge-like device for the Super Nintendo called the Super Game Boy."

Dami rubbed her head. "Okay, it's a Game Boy COLOR! Fine! Whatever! So what exactly am I supposed to do with it? And another thing! Of all the handheld video games on the market, why did you go with such an old one?"

Elogas smiled. "That's because the older games are much more fun than the ones made today, what with their pretty graphics and excessive gore!"

Dami crossed her arms. "It's because you couldn't afford a Nintendo DS or PSP on your salary, right?"

Elogas' smile faded. "That's not the point, Dami. What I need you to do is start playing the game up to a certain point. Then, I will have you enter the game by using my hypnosis to put you in the Lucid Dreaming state."

Dami squinted. "And what game are you having me enter, Elogas?"

Elogas said, "I picked one that anyone can become a part of and not become permanently involved in, just so you don't become too attached to the characters like you did in the 'Korxot the Kimera' and 'Ring Robots' manga."

Dami slammed one fist on Elogas' desk. "JUST TELL ME WHAT IT IS!"

Elogas coyly touched the tips of his index fingers together. "P… C… V…"

"STOP WHISPERING! WHAT GAME IS IT?!"

Elogas took a big gulp before finally saying, "Pokemon Crystal Version."

Dami turned pale. "POKEMON?! How old do you think I am, Elogas?! I JUST TURNED 16 for crying out loud!"

Elogas slammed his fist on the desk. "HOW DARE YOU ASSUME THE TARGET AGE GROUP OF POKEMON?! I'll have you know that all kinds of people from ages 6 to 60 have picked up and played a Pokemon game at least once!"

Dami wiped her face. "Okay, that nonsense aside, how in the hell will Pokemon help improve my physical abilities?"

Elogas folded his arms. "Pokemon isn't just about catching and training hundreds of creatures to be the best that they can be. It is also about travelling from town to town, city to city, continent to continent on foot or by bike. All that fresh air and exercise will be good for you! Travel far enough and you'll be in good enough shape to take on two or three Oni at once!"

Dami picked up the GBC. "All right, whatever you say. How do you turn this on?"

Elogas said, "Oh, there's a switch on the side."

"The left side?"

"No. That's the Volume Slider."

"So, the right side then."

"Yes. Flip it up."

"Then what? It's all pixely and weird."

"Turn it off. You'll need to blow on the cartridge."

"Oh. Well that's stupid."

"FINE! Let me do it!"

"Okay! Geez!"

……

"Alright, I turned it on. What's up with the critters?"

"Just press start to skip to the title screen."

"Whoa! What is that weird silhouette?"

"Never mind that! Just press start again!"

….

"Okay, what do I do now?"

"AUGH! WHAT HAPPENED TO MY SAVED GAME?!"

"I think the Pokemon games were still on battery backup before Nintendo found a better way."

"Damn it! Okay. It's not important now. Just choose 'New Game' and press 'A'."

"Okay, the screen just went black. Now… Oh! There's something at the bottom of the screen!"

"That's just dialogue. Just keep pressing 'A' Until it asks you to set the time."

"Okay… Wait a minute… Can't I adjust the minutes?"

"After you set the hour! AFTER!"

"Oh… okay… ACK! Who's the old guy?!"

"That's Professor Oak! You'll meet up with him later!"

"Aren't I talking to him right now?"

"Look, I don't understand why they did the intro this way! Just roll with it!"

"Now the game's asking if I'm a boy or a girl? Wow! I didn't know that I had a choice!"

"Yes, Pokemon Crystal was the first one to give someone the choice to be a girl trainer!"

"Why did Nintendo wait so long?!"

"Never mind that! Just pick girl and keep going!"

"Okay. Now it's asking my name. D. A. M. I. There we go."

"Now here's the best part!"

"Best part? But the game just started!"

Then Elogas read the text out loud along with Professor Oak's dialogue: "DAMI, are you ready? Your very own POKEMON story is about to unfold."

Dami said, "Elogas, just what are you doing?"

Elogas ignored Dami. "You'll face fun times and tough challenges. A world of dreams and adventures with POKEMON awaits! Let's Go!"

Dami said, "Elogas, you're beginning to creep me out!"

Elogas then shouted "HYPNOSIS FLARE!!"

Dami then felt like she was falling! She seemed to shrink in size as though she was being absorbed by the Game Boy Color! Before she lost consciousness, she could swear that she heard the Pokemon Anime's voice of Professor Oak saying, "I'll be seeing you later!"

"Dami! Wake up! You're going to be late!" sounded a familiar voice.

"_Mom?"_ Dami could not believe her ears! She woke up in a nice, comfortable bed, and she heard the voice of her mother. _"Could it be that the last five months were all just a bad dream?"_ Both excited and scared, Dami slowly opened her eyes.

It was nothing like her real room. Every wall, the ceiling, and the floor were beautifully stained hardwood. Her bed was in the corner, there was a table in the middle of the room, and against the wall, from left to right, was a desk which had a computer and a radio on it, a TV, and a bookshelf filled with picture books and magazines all relating to Pokemon.

"_Nope. It all still happened. Rats. So much for a normal life..."_ Dami stepped out of bed, and to her amazement, she was fully clothed. Sitting on the table was the same backpack Dora bought for her, only it had an embroidered PokeBall on it in the top of the middle of the outside flap. Instinctively, Dami picked it up and pulled the straps over her shoulders. She then walked over to the stairs in the corner opposite her bed and climbed down.

As soon as she reached the bottom, she was greeted by her mother. Snow's hair style was exactly like Dami's, only it was shorter, naturally shiny, and black. She was a few inches taller than Dami, wore a black muscle shirt, khaki pants, and a white apron. "Breakfast is ready, Dami! We have bacon, eggs, and hash browns today!"

Dami looked puzzled. _"I could have sworn that when Elogas sent me here, I set the time for the afternoon, just like the current time! So why am I about to have breakfast?"_ She shrugged and sat down at the kitchen table.

Much to her dismay, her father was also sitting at the table. "What's wrong with you, girl? You mother started cooking a half hour ago!" Screech was a perfect example of what a woman doesn't want in a man. He was balding, short, fat, temperamental, and spent all time at home watching sports games on TV. In spite of their new surroundings, Screech still wore his old Libido High School jersey from when he was on their football team. He then opened the newspaper to find the sports section. "I still don't understand why we moved to New Bark Town! I don't recognize any of the teams playing today! Who in the hell are the Electabuzz?!"

Snow dished the breakfast while rolling her eyes. "You know, I don't know why we moved here either, but you could show some consideration for our beautiful new home!"

Screech snorted. "Beautiful? It only has two floors, Dami gets the upstairs all to herself, AND…" He was interrupted by a smack on the head from a still-sizzling frying pan. "YEEEEOOOWWWWWWWWWCCCHHH!!!"

Snow put the weapon in the sink. "That's enough. Eat your breakfast or I'll make you eat it the wrong way!"

Screech massaged his burned scalp. "Yes dear…"

Dami couldn't help but smile. Her mother would often fight with her father, but very rarely did she see an argument end with her mother coming out on top. The fights usually ended with her dad compromising by forcing his wife to have sex with him later; an altogether unpleasant notion.

As Dami finished her hash browns, she knew that she had to ask her mother what it was that she would be late for. "So mom, what's going on today?"

After sipping her coffee, Snow said, "Didn't I tell you last night? Oh, well… Our new neighbor, Professor Elm, wanted you to do something for him. He didn't say what it was at the time."

Dami sipped her milk. "Professor Elm? Who's that?"

Screech then said, "Apparently, he's an authority on Pokemon Evolution, not that I know what any of this nonsense means…"

Snow then left the table, grabbed something from a shelf, and brought it to Dami. "Before I forget, your PokeGear just came back from the repair shop, so go ahead and take it with you! Don't forget to set the day of the week and indicate that it's Daylight Savings Time!"

The PokeGear looked like a watch, only with an antenna for receiving phone calls and radio transmissions, plus the latch which would attach one end of the band to the other was adorned with the familiar spiral shape of the Lucidia Royal Treasure.

Snow continued to explain the features of the PokeGear. "Just tap the button here to toggle between the phone, map, and radio icons, and any phone numbers you register will appear on the phone list with the name of the person you exchanged numbers with. Now try not to exchange numbers with someone you don't trust!"

Dami finished her breakfast as she adjusted the PokeGear band to the size of her wrist. "Okay, mom! I'll be careful!"

Screech couldn't help but shout the last word before Dami headed out the door. "AND STAY OUT OF THE TALL GRASS! WILD POKEMON WILL ATTACK YOU IF YOU DO!"

Dami rolled her eyes and chose not to reply. She walked to the west when she saw Professor Elm's laboratory. It looked fairly small, with windows surrounding the outside of the building. Before she entered, she saw a red-haired boy wearing a black leather jacket staring into the lab from the west windows. Deciding to be friendly, Dami thought she would greet him. "Hello! I'm Dami Owl! Is this Professor Elm's place?"

The red-haired boy ignored her at first, still peering into the lab. "So this is the famous Elm Pokemon Lab…" Then his eyes met Dami's. "What are you staring at? GET LOST!" He swung his fists defensively at Dami.

Dami recoiled so he would not land a single blow. "What is your problem?!"

The boy shouted, "MIND YOUR OWN BUSINESS! THAT'S MY PROBLEM!!"

Dami decided it wasn't worth it to argue with him, so she circled around the front of the building to the main entrance. As she entered, she saw two large bookshelves on the opposite sides of the lab, with a man in a lab coat nervously organizing the books in a frenzy on the left side. Dami then asked him, "Excuse me, but are you Professor Elm?"

He then dropped all his books in surprise. "Ha! I wish! That's the first time anyone has mistaken me for the professor! I'm just his assistant! He's actually on the other side of these bookshelves!"

Dami then bowed politely. "Thank you anyway!" She then marched between the bookshelves to finally come face to face with Professor Elm. He was tall and skinny, wore a white lab coat over his light blue shirt and light brown dress pants, and the top of his head had a spiky puff-ball of hair on it. "Professor Elm?"

The Professor swung around to greet Dami. "Ah! You must be the daughter of my new neighbors! Dami, right? It's good to meet you!"

Dami decided to keep up a polite front. "It's good to meet you too, Professor Elm!"

Professor Elm then stated his request. "You see, Dami, I need you to run an errand for me. My acquaintance, a man called Mr. Pokemon sent me an e-mail raving about a discovery he's just made. He wants to tell me what it is in person, but I'm just BURIED in my research! It's just me and my assistant to mind the lab right now, so I need you look into it for us."

Dami then asked Elm, "But professor, my dad tells me that I shouldn't go through the tall grass because of Wild Pokemon. Isn't there a lot of tall grass outside of town?"

Elm then smiled confidently. "Well, your father must care for you, because he's right! Without a Pokemon of your own, it WOULD BE dangerous to go alone! Luckily, I have three Pokemon on the table over there. They're all young, but they're fairly easy to tame. I'm going to let you borrow one for this errand! Go ahead and pick one!"

Dami then walked over to the table and peered at the PokeBalls. One ball contained Chikorita, a small green quadruped with several beads around its neck and a large, hard leaf atop its head. The second ball contained Totodile, a small blue crocodile with a yellow striped pattern on its belly, red plates on its back, and black circles around its red eyes. The third ball contained Cyndaquil, which resembled an anteater at first glance with a light yellow underbelly and a dark blue back, but curiously had flames shooting out of its back that appeared to look like a hedgehog's quills. After examining all three carefully, she gave a sigh. "I'm sorry professor, but I know almost nothing about Pokemon. Which one should I choose?"

Elm then shrugged. "If it makes any difference, Chikorita is a Grass-Type, Totodile is a Water-Type, and Cyndaquil is a Fire-Type. Because you're a novice, I would pick Chikorita if I were you. Grass-Types tend to be easy to care for. Water-Types are generally for Intermediate Trainers and Fire-Types for Advanced Trainers."

Dami smiled. "Okay, professor! I'll take your word for it! Chikorita it is!" She picked up the PokeBall containing Chikorita. "Now, where does Mr. Pokemon live?"

Elm told Dami to check the map function on her Pokegear. "Here is New Bark Town, and just west of here is Cherrygrove City. The Second House to the North of Cherrygrove is Mr. Pokemon's House. If Chikorita gets hurt along the way, bring it back to my lab. I have the same type of machine that Pokemon Centers use to heal trainer's Pokemon with. Also, here is my phone number. Put it on your PokeGear so we can keep in touch if something comes up. Good luck on your journey, Dami!"

Dami smiled and waved goodbye, as she put Chikorita's PokeBall on her belt. Before she left the lab, Elm's assistant got in her way. "Sorry to bother you, but it is a fairly long way to Mr. Pokemon's house. If you can't get back here or to Cherrygrove's Pokemon Center before your Pokemon faints, you might need to use these." The assistant then handed Dami a handful of berries and a few potions. "You can make your Pokemon hold a Berry so if it gets injured in battle without fainting, it will eat the berry to recover its health! The potions, while your Pokemon can't use them on their own, will restore more health than most berries. Again, sorry to bother you, but Elm and I just can't seem to get away from this lab for very long, so we're counting on you!"

Dami smiled sheepishly. "Um… Okay. Thank you… I think…" Dami put the berries and potions in her backpack, and headed out the door.

Dami began to walk out onto Route 29, not knowing what to expect. "Well, I STILL don't know what Elogas hopes to accomplish by sending me here, but I hope it helps me fight the Oni when I get back." She then removed the PokeBall from her belt. "I guess the only one I can expect any help from is you." She then pressed the button on the ball and chucked it. "Come on out, Chikorita!"

Chikorita appeared on the ground in front of Dami in a flash of light. "CHIKA CHIKA!" chirped the Pokemon. Its leaf seemed to shine brightly in the morning sunlight. It then perked its head up at its new master. "Chikoree?" It seemed to be asking her a question.

Dami froze. "Um… I don't speak Pokemon… I am Dami. I'm your trainer, I guess…"

Chikorita narrowed its eyes, and turned its head away from Dami. "Chik."

Dami frowned. "I'm sorry if we don't understand each other, but I've got a ways to go and I'm not sure how long I'm going to be in the Pokemon World, so I was kind of hoping that you would cooperate with me until its time for me to leave…"

Chikorita then walked up to Dami, nipped her leg, the shock of which caused her to drop the PokeBall, and gently pressed its nose against the button. In a flash of red light, Chikorita disappeared. "Aw, man! Why doesn't Chikorita do what I say? And Elm said it was the EASIEST one to deal with…"

She then heard laughter behind her. "HA HA HA! Wow! You really ARE a noob trainer, aren't you!"

Dami couldn't hold in her frustration. "What does it matter to you?!" That is when her eyes met his; they were blue as the ocean on a clear day. He stood about 6 feet, 2 inches tall. He had a fair complexion. He wore a beige visor, over the top of which sprouted a full and thick head of spiky golden blonde hair. He wore a red t-shirt with a denim shirt over the top of it and a black lace necklace which sported a pewter, sun-shaped charm. He also wore denim shorts with a brown leather belt. His feet were adorned with black socks and medium-red shoes. Around his shoulder he toted a pale blue and black messenger bag. But his smile… It was a clean, warm smile. Dami felt her heart melt a little. "I'm… sorry. Forgive me. I'm having trouble with my new Pokemon. It's just, just…. OH!"

The boy stopped laughing, but his smile did not fade. "That's okay! I didn't mean to sound harsh! I guess that's just a bad habit of mine; talking before I think, that is… If you want, I can give you some pointers on training Pokemon!"

Dami smiled. She knew that the only reason her parents were in the Pokemon World was because they were created to make her feel like she wasn't alone. All the other people only seemed to act nice or mean because they were more or less scripted or programmed to be. But this boy… there was nothing artificial about him. He seemed so genuine; so real. "That would be great! Um… I'm sorry! I didn't catch your name!"

The boy adjusted his visor, which had in block lettering, an orange letter "N" with a thick black border embroidered on the center of it. "You can call me Yellow Edge. I might not look it, but I'm a well-traveled Pokemon Trainer. I've been to every Gym in Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, and Sinnoh, but I have to say that I miss Johto more than any land. That's why I came back after challenging Sinnoh's Champion, Cynthia."

Dami broke out of her trance. "I'm sorry, but I don't know a thing you're talking about! What's a Gym? Who's Cynthia? And where in the world is Johto?"

Yellow's smile waned a little. "Wow! You really ARE new here! I guess I can't expect everyone to know everything. Oh, there I go again! I accidentally ran off at the mouth again! I apologize, but I'm something of a know-it-all. I travel the world, gathering information, collecting Pokemon, of course. I keep forgetting that not everyone knows what I know, and conversely, I can't know what everyone else knows either."

Dami waved her arms. "That's okay! It's no big deal! So, what can you tell me about Pokemon training?"

Yellow folded his arms in a matter-of-fact way. "You see, Dami, when you addressed your Chikorita earlier, you seemed afraid of it. When you spoke to it, you didn't have any confidence in your words. So when you asked it to do something, it thought you were being pretentious. Be firm with your Pokemon, and it will respect you. Trust your Pokemon, and it will befriend you. Love your Pokemon, and together, the two of you will do great things."

Dami then picked up the PokeBall and dusted it off. "You're right! I need to be more assertive! Come back out, Chikorita!"

Chikorita once again appeared in a flash of light. "Chiko…" It looked disdainfully up at Dami.

Dami froze again. "Um… now what do I do?"

Yellow's smile grew. "Let it know you're its friend! Get down to its level and hold out your hand!"

Dami gulped, then she got down on her knees and held her palm out, face up. "It's okay, Chikorita. I want to be your friend. I need your help, please."

Chikorita's scowl disappeared, and it walked over to Dami. It sniffed Dami's hand, then licked her palm. "Chiko Chika Riiii!!" It then nuzzled its head against Dami's palm.

Dami laughed. "Hey! It worked! Chikorita seems so friendly now!"

Yellow laughed along. "That's great! Say! Do you know what I find helps cement a friendship with a Pokemon? Giving it a nickname! The name you give it is a symbol of your friendship and a reflection of your personality and your feelings for that Pokemon!"

Dami shed a tear. "I'm sorry, but I can't give this Pokemon a nickname."

Yellow's smile faded completely. "That's bull hockey! Why not?"

Dami turned to her new friend. "That's because Chikorita is only a loaner. Professor Elm said he was going to let me 'borrow' it until I finished my errand for him."

Yellow rubbed his chin. "Well, that's no fun. Why would Elm let you take a Pokemon with you and not let you keep it? Bah. Whatever. So what did he ask you to do?"

Dami explained the errand to Yellow in as full detail as she could remember it.

Yellow rubbed his eyes with his index finger and thumb. "Well, I wasn't busy doing anything right now, so why don't I accompany you on your task? If you get stuck, I can help you with my Pokemon!"

The smile returned to Dami's face. "I would like that, Yellow. And thank you for your kindness."

And so, Dami's Pokemon journey begins! What trials will she endure? What perils will she overcome? And is there a chance that the Akumu-Oni-Kiritsu will interfere with her special training?

Don't forget to review my story! I will also accept constructive criticism.

Keep reading for the next Chapter: The Cherrygrove Burglar!


	2. CH 02: The Cherrygrove Burglar!

Dreams Are What Pokemon Are Made Of

A Dreams Are What Life is Made Of / Pokemon Fanfiction.

This is only for use on . Do NOT publish as your own work.

All Pokemon Characters, Items, and Locations are copyrighted to Nintendo, Creatures, and Game Freak. Their permission was not asked for when writing this work, but this story is NOT intended for profit, but solely for entertainment.

All DAWLIMO Characters are mine.

Does everybody got that?

Good! On with the story!

**Chapter 2: The Cherrygrove Burglar!**

Where we last left Dami, Elogas used his Hypnosis Flare to send Dami from her own world into the world of Pokemon so she could train her body to be more capable of fighting the Akumu-Oni-Kiritsu. Dami wound up in the Johto Region, with her temporary home in New Bark Town. After meeting clones of her parents, she went to Elm's lab to see what his errand was about. After talking with him, Dami received her first Pokemon, Chikorita; who seemed reluctant to be with Dami at the time. Luckily, a young man by the name of Yellow Edge came along and gave her a crash course in Pokemon training. Knowing that she may not be able to keep her Chikorita, Yellow decided to come along with Dami and be her coach in Pokemon Training. Our story now continues…

Dami cautiously waded through the tall grass on Route 29, with her Chikorita hot on her heels. Yellow was walking through the tall grass calmly while listening to his own PokeGear's radio. Yellow then broke the silence when a song started playing. "Ooh! I love this song! Mezase Pokemon Master! POKEMON! GETTO DA ZE!!"

Dami squealed in surprise and fell over. Chikorita kept walking and simply climbed on top of Dami's head before realizing she had stopped. "Chiko?"

Dami pushed herself off of the ground and spun around to scold Yellow. "WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU?! Here I am, worried about running into my first wild Pokemon and you're blaring a radio station?!"

Yellow looked sternly at Dami. "Hush! Here comes the first verse! TATOE HI NO NAKA MIZU NO NAKA KUSO NO NAKA MORI NO NAKA!"

Dami fumed. "WHAT DOES THAT EVEN MEAN?!"

Yellow reluctantly turned down the volume. "It's Japanese, Dami. Even if through fire, in water, on the grass, in forests. It's quite the poetic language when you really think about it."

Dami stamped her foot on the ground. "DON'T YOU EVEN CARE WHAT HAPPENS?!"

Yellow fingered the volume control on his PokeGear. "You know, of all the devices I've used, I prefer this to Sinnoh's Poketch. Sure, it has over two dozen features, but playing back music wasn't one of them!"

Dami then noticed that Chikorita was on her head. "AAAAAAUGGHH!! GET IT OFF OF ME! GET IT OFF!"

A startled Chikorita held on for dear life as Dami flailed wildly. "CHI CHI CHI CHI CHIIII!!!!"

Yellow then shouted, "STOP DOING THAT! AND LOOK OUT FOR THAT…"

But it was too late. The panicky Dami tripped over a Pidgey. The Pokemon started to cry out loud and started pecking at Chikorita. "CHIIIKOOOO!!!!"

Yellow rubbed his face. "…Pidgey. Well, don't just stand there! Tell Chikorita to fight back!"

Dami managed to get Chikorita off of her. "All right! This isn't a drill, Chikorita! FIGHT BACK!"

Chikorita stood there as Pidgey tackled it angrily.

Dami began to sweat. "What's going on! FIGHT BACK!!"

Yellow then placed his hand on Dami's shoulder. "I didn't mean you should tell it just 'fight back'! You need to tell it to use one of its moves! At its level, it should know Tackle and Growl."

Dami then took a firm stance. "DON'T LET THAT PIDGEY GET AWAY WITH IT! TACKLE IT!" Chikorita promptly obeyed and tackled the Pidgey at full speed. It conked Pidgey right on the noggin' dealing critical damage! The Pidgey then disappeared back into the tall grass.

Dami smiled. "ALL RIGHT, CHIKORITA! WE DID IT!" She gave Chikorita a pat on the head. Chikorita fainted… "ACK! OH NO! WHAT DID I DO?! QUICK, YELLOW! WHAT DO I DO?! DO I GIVE IT CPR?! MOUTH TO MOUTH?! WHAT?!"

Yellow chuckled. "No, Chikorita's fine! It's just exhausted from taking that beating! Here; I've got a revive crystal you can use." Yellow then removed a yellow crystal from his bag and applied it to Chikorita's wounds. The leafy Pokemon then sprung awake, chirping its gratitude. "You're welcome, Chikorita!"

Dami gave Yellow a big hug. "Oh, thank you, Yellow! I don't know what I would have done if you weren't here!"

Yellow pulled free from the hug. "Yes, well, you're welcome. Now FYI, that was my last revive crystal, so we need to get to Cherrygrove as soon as possible so I can restock."

Dami blushed. "Oh, right…"

By taking several shortcuts past the tall grass, the two travelers finally entered Cherrygrove City. It was odd that it was called a city though; it only had a few houses in addition to the Mart and the Pokemon Center.

Dami noticed right away how much it didn't resemble a city. "Geez. And I thought New Bark Town was small…"

Yellow smiled. "At least it has a Pokemon Center! And a Mart where I can stock up on revive crystals! Go ahead and take Chikorita to the Pokemon Center. It's the building with the red roof that has a large letter 'P' on it. You can't miss it. I'll meet you there after I finish shopping."

Dami nodded and scooped up Chikorita in her arms. She walked through the doors and over to the counter, where she saw a nurse, dressed from head to toe in white and pink, with a red cross on her hat. She had red hair with two long pigtails that curved into perfect circles behind her back. She approached the counter and said, "Welcome to the Pokemon Center! We can restore your Pokemon to perfect health. Shall we heal your Pokemon?"

Dami placed Chikorita on the counter. "Yes please. My Chikorita got hurt while battling a Pidgey."

The nurse then placed Chikorita on the machine to the side and said, "Okay, this will only take a few moments. With a beep and a cheery melody, the machine lit up for a few seconds. "There! Your Pokemon are fully healed! We hope to see you again!"

Dami gave her Chikorita a big hug. "Oh, I'm glad you're okay! Thank you! Um… I didn't catch your name! What was it?"

The nurse simply replied, "Welcome to the Pokemon Center! We can restore your Pokemon to perfect health. Shall we heal your Pokemon?"

Dami stopped for a second. "Um, didn't you just do that?"

The nurse replied, "We hope to see you again!"

Dami headed to the exit. "Weird."

Since Yellow didn't come back yet, Dami thought she would look for him. "He said he was going to the mart. Maybe he's still there."

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU DON'T SELL REVIVE CRYSTALS?!" Yellow was shouting at the clerk, his face red with rage.

The clerk, bespectacled and sweating, replied, "I'm sorry, sir! But our mart has never carried revive crystals in the past!"

Yellow backed off a moment. "Never? Really? Oh, geez, I am so sorry. I've been around the world so much that I forgot which shops sell what! In that case, I'll just buy ten potions."

The clerk, still nervous, scrambled to get the potions. "YESSIR! RIGHT AWAY SIR!"

Yellow gave the clerk a 10% tip for his cooperation. "I'm terribly sorry about my outburst. I used to work in retail, you know. Worst five years of my life. Don't worry. As long as you find the silver lining on every cloud, you'll be just fine."

The clerk said before fainting, "HAVE A GOOD DAY SIR!" PLUNK!

Yellow put the potions in his bag while leaving the mart. He then saw Dami heading his way. "Ah, Dami! So the Pokemon Center took you right away, huh?"

Dami smiled. "Yes! Chikorita is just fine now! However, the nurse at the counter seemed a little weird; she always wore a smile, and she seems to repeat the same thing over and over again!"

Yellow laughed. "Ah, Nurse Joy. She must be overworked again! Every Pokemon Center has one, you know?"

Dami looked perplexed. "One what?"

Yellow grinned a cheesy grin. "Nurse Joy, of course! They are all sisters and cousins that come from the same family, who ironically all decided to become employed as nurses at Pokemon Centers across the globe. Cherrygrove's Nurse Joy must be repeating herself because of all the young trainers who train their Pokemon near here. She receives so many visits that her vocabulary is limited to what she tells those kids. Anyway, the mart in Cherrygrove apparently never sold revive crystals at all. So I bought some extra potions so that we may make it to Mr. Pokemon's house and back without stopping."

Dami cheered, "That's great! Let's get moving!"

As they headed north, they saw two boys blocking the path on the left side of the road. One said to the other, "Ha! You call yourself a Pokemon trainer? You just caught it five minutes ago! There's no way you can beat me!"

The other boy said! "HA! You're on! Half of my allowance says that I will beat you today!"

"BRING IT!" both threw their PokeBalls and the battle began.

Yellow sighed, "That's exactly what I was talking about earlier. Those kids talk a big game, but they're just kids. Very few really apply themselves to become any good."

Dami asked, "Which one of them do you think will win?"

Yellow said, "I hope you're not going to wager on their match?" Dami shook her head. "Good. The one near the top of the ledge will win."

Dami then asked, "How do you know?

Yellow said, "It's simple, really. You see their belts? The one closest to us only had one PokeBall on it, while the other had two. Assuming they both have Pokemon from around this area, then its likely that they trained the Pokemon they have in common to the same level. Even if the one boy manages to defeat the same Pokemon, the other still has one left. Regardless of what level the remaining Pokemon is at, its opponent will already be tired from fighting the last Pokemon, and could easily be finished off by a fresh Pokemon."

Dami was amazed. "Wow! You could tell that just by looking at their belts?"

Yellow smiled. "Well, I could see more than their belts, but for our purposes, it was all the information I needed to accurately gauge the outcome. Now let's keep going, since we already know the outcome of this battle."

They pushed their way through the tall grass until they finally saw it; Mr. Pokemon's house. It was rather small and unspectacular for someone who made great discoveries. Without another word said, they entered.

Dami's eyes widened. Sitting with whom they assumed was Mr. Pokemon was… "PROFESSOR OAK!"

Oak looked confused. "Oh! And who might you be, young lady?"

Dami then gave a little bow. "My name is Dami Owl. I just moved to New Bark Town and Professor Elm sent me on this errand."

Mr. Pokemon beamed with excitement. "Ah, yes! He did send me an e-mail that you would come in his place! It's nice to meet you! Now take a look at this…" Mr. Pokemon pulled out what looked like an ostrich egg, only it was adorned with blue squares and red triangles. "This is what I believe to be a Pokemon Egg. When I was travelling near the Pokemon Day Care just south of Goldenrod City, the old couple that ran it discovered this after someone left two of their Pokemon there. I then hopped on my bicycle and rode it as fast as I could back home! That's when I got a flat tire, so I sent Elm an e-mail about my discovery and now HERE YOU ARE!" He stopped to catch his breath. "Anyway, I wish for Professor Elm to examine the egg and confirm my theory! Please take it to him!"

Dami put the Mystery Egg in the Key Item pocket of her backpack. "Okay! I will get it to him as soon as I can!"

Oak laughed and extended his hand to pet Dami's Chikorita. "My my! This is quite a fine specimen of Pokemon you have here! I can see by your enthusiasm that you are a dependable young woman! I can see why Elm entrusted Chikorita to you for this errand. I think this was well met! Here! Please take this with you." Oak reached into his lab coat and pulled out… "This is a Pokedex. It automatically records data on Pokemon that you meet. It's a high-tech Pokemon encyclopedia! This has already been fitted with the new Silph Scope, so you can identify Ghost Pokemon when you meet them. Good luck and happy hunting!"

Dami bowed again. "Thank you for this! I hope to make good use of it!"

Oak then noticed Dami's travelling companion. "Say! Aren't you…"

Yellow nodded his head. "Yes, it's me, professor. It sure has been I while since I saw you last!"

Oak laughed. "My, how you've grown! I remember when you were just ten years old when I gave you your first Pokemon. You actually tried to enter the tall grass without it when I met you!"

Yellow chuckled. "Yeah, how little I knew back then, right? Anyway, my Blastoise says 'Hi'!"

Oak said, "Well, Dami, I am confident that if you continue to travel with Yellow then you will also grow into a fine Pokemon trainer!"

Suddenly, Dami's PokeGear began to ring. "Hm? Professor Elm's calling. I wonder what's up?" Dami pressed a button to pick up the receiver. "Hi, Professor Elm! What's up?"

"H-hello? Dami? It's a disaster! Uh, um… It's just terrible! What should I do? It… Oh no… PLEASE COME BACK RIGHT NOW!!" Then the receiver clicked.

Oak frowned. "Hm… Elm sounded a little more worried than usual just now. I suggest you waste no time returning to New Bark Town!"

Yellow grabbed Dami's wrist. "Hurry! Recall Chikorita! You might need it to battle on our way!"

Dami obeyed and sent Chikorita back into its PokeBall. "Let's go!"

Yellow and Dami leapt over the ledges to bypass the long stretches of tall grass on their way. They reached Cherrygrove City in less than five minutes. Before they could exit through the city's east exit, they crashed into someone.

Dami rubbed her head. "Ow… that hurt…" With blurred vision, she slowly got to her feet and tried to focus on the other victim. It was the same red-headed boy who was looking into Professor Elm's lab from the outside! "HEY! It's you! You're that boy!"

The red-head massaged his scalp when he recognized Dami. "Hmph. So it's you. You were that girl who asked that guy which Pokemon you should pick. How lame."

As Dami could see more clearly, she noticed that there was a shard of glass stuck in his right hand, which had a trickle of blood coming from it. "Oh my god! You're hurt! Does this have something to do with Professor Elm's lab? Was there an accident?"

The red-head frowned. "So the jig is up, is it? I knew I couldn't knock out the Professor before he made that call. Well, it looks like I need to take care of you too…"

Dami looked worried. "What are you talking about?"

The red-head grinned a sickening grin. "Don't you get what I'm saying? Well, I too have a Pokemon. And I guarantee that it's better than yours." His bloody hand reached for a PokeBall at his belt. "Let me show you what I mean! GO POKEBALL!" Without even thinking, Dami reached for her PokeBall and threw it at the same time as the red-head. In two bright flashes of light, out came Dami's Chikorita and… "Cyndaquil!" squeaked the Fire Mouse Pokemon.

Yellow had just regained conciousness from the collision when he saw the ensuing battle. "What the… HOLD ON! Dami! Call Chikorita back now!"

Dami twirled to ask Yellow, "Why? I think this guy is responsible for what happened at Elm's lab!"

Yellow looked more serious now than ever. "Listen to me, Dami; Chikorita is a Grass-Type. Cyndaquil is a Fire-Type. Cyndaquil has the advantage! You need to let me handle this boy!"

Dami threw a rock at Yellow. "No, Yellow. This is something I need to do for myself! If I keep piggybacking on your advice, there's no way I'll learn things for myself! Besides! He knocked my neighbor unconscious! I can't forgive him for that!"

The red-head scowled. "Are you two done yammering? Go, Cyndaquil! Use Growl now!" Cyndaquil reluctantly but obediently let out a high-pitched growl which caused Chikorita to shrink back a little.

Dami clenched her fists tightly. "Don't give up, Chikorita! Use Tackle! Go for his head!" Chikorita charged bravely and knocked Cyndaquil backwards."

The red-head smiled. "Hmph! Is that the best you can do? Growl causes a Pokemon to lose its strength in the face of adversity. I'll show you a real TACKLE!" Cyndaquil charged at Chikorita. Chikorita then tried to sidestep so Cyndaquil would miss. "Don't think you can dodge this! Turn around Cyndaquil and use EMBER!!" Cyndaquil's back lit up with its spiky flames and turned 180 degrees in midcharge. The flames extended Cynaquil's attack radius, grazing Chikorita! An ember caused a spark to ignite on Chikorita's big leaf, and Chikorita began to panic!

Dami cringed. "Don't panic, Chikorita! Try swinging your leaf around!" In one motion, Chikorita swung its head to fling its leaf, and not only did it put out the spark, it flung a leaf in the direction of Cyndaquil! Cyndaquil narrowly dodged the attack!

Yellow smiled. "Well done, Dami! You just succeeded in teaching your Chikorita Razor Leaf!"

Dami said, "Ah! I did? Wow! Okay, Chikorita! Let's do that one more time! Use Razor Leaf on Cyndaquil!" Chikorita chirped as it twirled its leaf around once more, flinging a leaf at the teetering Cyndaquil. The attack hit Cyndaquil right between its legs! Cyndaquil's eyes rolled into the back of its head as it fainted! "All right, Chikorita! You did it!"

The red-head then knocked Dami over as he scooped up his Pokemon. "How dare you hit my Pokemon… there… That's unforgivable!"

Yellow rushed to the red-head's front. "So is stealing someone's Pokemon. You better hand that Cyndaquil over…"

"NEVER!!" The red-head grabbed Cyndaquil's snout, causing the Pokemon's back to emit flames, nearly charring Yellow's face! He then ran to the north of Cherrygrove to escape. But before the left, he turned to Dami and said with all seriousness, "You girl. Remember my name. I am Silver Stone. I am going to be a Pokemon Master someday. Before that day comes, you WILL feel my wrath!" He dashed through the tall grass and was gone.

Yellow dunked his head in the nearby pond to cool off. "Geez! That guy really burns my bacon!"

Dami walked over and handed Yellow a towel. "And he almost did! Burn you, that is…"

Yellow frowned as he toweled off. "So the kid's name is Silver. Good to know. Dami, you keep going towards New Bark Town. Use the ledges to bypass the tall grass. I'm going to file a police report with Cherrygrove's authorities. I'll meet up with you later."

"Right! Chikorita, return! We need to get moving!" Dami tucked the PokeBall onto her belt and made a mad dash towards New Bark Town. "Please be okay, Professor Elm…"

When Dami arrived, the police were already on the scene. Red and blue lights flashed as Dami continued to run, hearing nothing but the sound of her own heart beating. She leapt over the yellow tape with such grace that the police didn't hear her land. She then saw Professor Elm being placed on a stretcher by paramedics. "Oh god, no…" She ran over to the professor, hoping with every step that he was still alright. "Professor! Professor! Can you hear me?!"

Elm was bleeding from the top of his head, and there was a big bruise on his left cheek. "Oh, Dami? Thank goodness you are okay."

Dami blushed. "Never mind me, Professor Elm! You look like you went three rounds with King Hippo!"

Elm tried to sit up in the stretcher. "Never mind how I look. What did Mr. Pokemon have to show me?"

Dami showed him the Mystery Egg.

Elm's eyes widened. "But this? Could it be a Pokemon Egg? Wow! Mr. Pokemon has outdone himself this time!" Elm began to laugh, but he coughed up blood. "Wow, I'm in sorry shape. I guess I better go to the hospital…"

Dami's eyes began to tear up. "Don't worry, Professor! My new friend Yellow is filing a police report right now in Cherrygrove City. We saw the guy that did this to you!"

Elm's eyes narrowed with worry. "No, you didn't. You couldn't have possibly seen what did this. At first, I thought I saw a young, red-haired boy enter my lab through the window. He demanded that I hand over my remaining Pokemon, but I refused. Naturally, he grew impatient with me, and that's when I called you on your PokeGear. But as soon as I did, that's when he took Cyndaquil. Before I knew what was happening… He… He… OH MY GOD! THOSE HORRIBLE GLOWING RED AND GREEN EYES!" That was the last thing Elm said before he collapsed.

Dami screamed in horror. "GLOWING RED AND GREEN EYES?! Is that what you saw, Professor! PLEASE TELL ME! TELL ME YOU'RE NOT JOKING!!"

One of the paramedics pushed Dami away. "Stay back, young lady. The professor lost a lot of blood, and we can't afford to waste a second getting him to the hospital! I need 50ccs of blood, stat!"

Dami stood in complete shock. She had only been a Pokemon Trainer for a day, and she never imagined that it would come to this; She made a smart new friend, and a dangerous new enemy. But she didn't believe it for a second until she heard Elm mention the glowing eyes.

His eyes.

Gekirin the Wrath's eyes.

Dami was reeling from the news. She slowly walked towards the exit not even hearing Elm's assistant as he handed her some empty PokeBalls to catch more Pokemon with. She couldn't believe, but did not have an explanation for the circumstances at hand.

The Akumu-Oni-Kiritsu followed her into the world of Pokemon!

Whoa! Even as I wrote it, I didn't see this ending coming! With the beginning of Dami's training, she now must contend with rival Pokemon Trainers AND the Akumu-Oni-Kiritsu!

Please write feedback!

Keep reading for the next Chapter: The Mystery of Bellsprout Tower!


	3. CH 03: The Mystery of Bellsprout Tower!

Dreams Are What Pokemon Are Made Of

A Dreams Are What Life is Made Of / Pokemon Fanfiction.

This is only for use on . Do NOT publish as your own work.

All Pokemon Characters, Items, and Locations are copyrighted to Nintendo, Creatures, and Game Freak. Their permission was not asked for when writing this work, but this story is NOT intended for profit, but solely for entertainment.

All DAWLIMO Characters are mine.

Does everybody got that?

Good! On with the story!

**Chapter 3: The Mystery of Bellsprout Tower!**

Dami rose from her bed, her eyes still red from crying. It was the morning after Professor Elm was attacked by the red-haired boy, who revealed his name to be Silver Stone. But that was only half of the reason Dami cried herself to sleep; she had learned that in the moment that Silver attacked Elm, he was possessed by Gekirin the Wrath, the violent and temperamental leader of the Akumu-Oni-Kiritsu. Dami looked at her PokeGear, hoping to use her dream magic to contact Elogas and warn him about the Oni's invasion into the Pokemon World. She closed her eyes and rubbed the part of the PokeGear that looked like the Lucidia Royal Treasure. "Please, answer me, Elogas! I'm scared, and I don't know what to do!"

She waited for fifteen minutes. There was no reply.

Just then, Dami's Chikorita emerged from its PokeBall and started nuzzling her. "Chi Chikoree…" it chirped, trying to comfort her.

"Oh, Chikorita…" Dami started, "I've only known you for a day, and already you've gotten caught up in my war. I'm so sorry about that." Chikorita responded by waving its leaf just under Dami's eyes, gently wiping away her tears. "Thank you, Chikorita. I think the only way that I can keep you safe is by leaving the Pokemon World. The trouble is, I haven't been able to contact Elogas since I came here!"

At that moment, Dami's PokeGear began to ring! "Hey! The call is coming from Elm's PokeGear!" She immediately pressed a button on the PokeGear to pick up the call. "Is that you, Professor? How are your injuries? Is there anything I can do to help?!"

"WHOA WHOA WHOA!!! Slow down, Dami!" The Professor managed to say over the PokeGear. "One thing at a time! First of all, I'm going to be fine. However, the doctor said I can't leave the hospital for a week due to my injuries! The nerve! Now I'll never get to examine that egg you showed me! And my research! I'll never catch up on it lying in a hospital bed, forced to watch reruns of 'As the Geodude Turns'!"

"I'm sorry to hear about that, professor!" Dami winced. "Tell you what; I'm going to try to take a trip over to the hospital to give you the egg and Chikorita."

"Chikorita? You mean you want to give back your Pokemon?! Nonsense! From what I heard your friend say, you handled Chikorita quite well when you engaged my assailant in a Pokemon Battle! You actually taught it Razor Leaf in mid-battle and managed to overcome the stolen Pokemon! I also heard that Professor Oak gave you your own Pokedex!" Elm gasped for breath, "The point is, I want you to keep Chikorita as long as you need it! And as for the egg, I want you to take that with you as well! As soon as I came to this morning, I asked a nurse for a laptop so I could look up information on Bulbapedia. Apparently, there have been numerous unconfirmed reports that Pokemon Eggs hatch when in the care of a kind and experienced trainer. Therefore, I made up my mind that you should take that Egg with you! And when it hatches, call me on your PokeGear right away! Just remember that I'm stuck in the hospital for a week, and I won't be able to return to my lab without the doctor's say-so."

"Wait… experienced?" Dami was puzzled, "But me teaching Chikorita Razor Leaf was a fluke! I'm not sure that I can hatch the egg! Maybe if I gave it to Yellow…"

"POPPYCOCK! I want to see YOU grow as a trainer, Dami! Yellow has been around the world and done many things! It would NOT be a challenge for him to hatch an egg!" Elm coughed a little. "Ahem… If you want to get more experience, then I recommend that you take the Johto League Gym Challenge!"

"Johto League… What?" Dami stroked Chikorita's leaf as it purred.

"The Johto League Gym Challenge is the ultimate test of any Pokemon Trainer! There are Eight Pokemon Gyms in the Johto Region, and each one specializes in one type of Pokemon. By defeating the Gym Leader, you earn Pokemon League Badges, which after collecting all eight, will make you eligible to take on the Pokemon League's best trainers; The Elite Four included!" Elm hit a button to receive a dose of morphine. "From New Bark Town, the closest Gym will be in Violet City, the next city after Cherrygrove. From Cherrygrove, just head north until you reach a small lake with a cave next to it. Then head west. You'll be in Violet City by the end of the day. Now remember to… to…" Elm began to feel the effects of the morphine. "…pick your balls…"

Dami blushed. "I BEG YOUR PARDON?!"

"GAH! MY WRIST!" Elm screamed.

The next voice Dami heard was Elm's assistant, who stayed in the hospital all night to make sure that he was okay. "What Elm meant to say was that you should use the PokeBalls I handed you last night to catch more Pokemon to help you take the Gym Challenge. The more the merrier! Goodbye!" Dami heard a click, then a dial tone.

"Well, you heard him, Chiko…" Then Dami paused. She realized that Elm wanted her to keep Chikorita! She remembered that Yellow told her that she could give Pokemon nicknames to reflect her feelings for them. Dami thought long and hard about what to call Chikorita from that point onward. "I've got it! Chikorita, are you a boy or a girl?" She lifted Chikorita and looked… down there… "Ah. You're a boy. In that case, I'm going to call you Chino from now on! Is that okay?"

"Chiko!" Chino loved his new name, and nestled up against Dami happily.

Then Dami's PokeGear rang again! "Now who could that be?" Checking her list of numbers, she saw that it was Yellow who called! "Ah! This must be important!"

"Hello? Dami? I heard everything from Professor Elm. I'm going to meet you outside of your house. Don't forget to talk to your parents before you go!" The call ended almost as soon as it began.

Dami climbed down the stairs after sending Chino back to his PokeBall. She met her parents, who both looked worried. "Dami?" her mother started, "Are you sure it's okay to go outside after what happened to Professor Elm?"

Her father grunted. "You know, if he had just barred his windows, that never would have happened."

Snow grabbed Screech's cheek and pulled. "THAT'S NOT VERY NICE! NOW APOLOGIZE!"

Screech whimpered, "But Elm's not here! Who the hell am I apologizing to?!"

Snow winced. "Never mind." She let go of Screech's cheek and he fell to the floor. "Now Dami, if there's anything we can do for you before you go… I know! Money is very important when you're traveling! If you want, I can save some of your money from winning Pokemon Battles!"

Dami shrugged. "Okay! I guess it couldn't hurt!"

Snow then pressed a button on Dami's PokeGear. "There! Now 10% your winnings will be wired back here. Go get them, my little angel!"

"Thanks, mom!" Dami slung her backpack over her shoulder and headed out the door.

"Are you all set, Dami?" Yellow said as he put away a Pokemon magazine.

"Yup! I'm all set!" Dami smiled as she hoisted her backpack into a more comfortable position.

"Now Professor Elm tells me that you are headed to Violet City. That is a bit of way off, and certainly too far for you to travel with just one Pokemon. Therefore, I'm going to give you a crash course in catching more Pokemon." Yellow said as he led her towards Route 29. "As I'm sure you're aware, traveling through the tall grass means that you'll encounter Wild Pokemon once in a while. Observe." Yellow started wading through the tall grass. As soon as he did, a Sentret appeared! "This is probably a good time for you to use your Pokedex to identify the Pokemon."

Dami opened up the Pokedex and aimed it at the Sentret. In a tinny voice, it said, "Sentret. The Scout Pokemon. When acting as a lookout, it warns others of danger by screeching and hitting the ground with its tail. Sentret typically weigh 13 lbs. and are roughly 2 feet, seven inches tall when standing up on their tail."

Yellow then pushed Dami in front of him. "Now you should send out your Chikorita! GO FOR IT!"

Dami brushed him off. "He has a nickname now, you know! "GO CHINO!" She flung her PokeBall and in a flash of white light, Chino stood ready for action. "CHI!"

"Okay. Now the trick is to not cause it to faint. Hit it with weak attacks like Tackle to start with, since Sentret are typically weak." Yellow coached.

"You got it! Go, Chino! Use Tackle!" Chino charged at the Sentret and connected! The Sentret reeled from the move!

"It should be pretty weak now! Throw a PokeBall at it!"

Dami reached into her backpack and grabbed one of the golfball sized spheres and instinctually pressed the button, causing it to grow to the size of a baseball. "GO POKEBALL!!" She cried as she flung it at the Sentret. In a flash of red light, the Sentret disappeared into the PokeBall. "I got it!"

Yellow frowned. "Not yet. Do you see the button on the PokeBall? It is still red. There is still a chance the Sentret could break the PokeBall. You haven't caught it until the button stops glowing. Just wait a minute."

Dami stared at the ball with anticipation. She saw it shudder once. It shuddered twice. It shuddered a third time. Then it stopped. As Yellow said, the button stopped glowing. "YES! I CAUGHT A SENTRET!"

"Excellent, Dami! Whenever you catch a Pokemon, its data is permanently recorded in your Pokedex! Now you have two Pokemon!" Yellow laughed, "That little fella must be tired, though. You should probably use a potion on its wounds before you send it into battle."

"Okay. Chino, return!" With a flash of red light, Chino vanished from sight." Dami then sent out her new Pokemon. "Sennntrrrr…" It weakly cried. "Don't worry, Sentret. It will be all right! Here, I'm going to treat your wounds." Dami sprayed a potion on the spot where Chino hit it. The Sentret recoiled from the pain, but it then sprung to attention after it got over it. "SENTRET!" it said with gusto.

"Alright! Good as new! I think I'm going to call you… Sentinella!" Dami said with a smile.

"So, do you think you have the hang of it, Dami?" Yellow asked.

Dami balled up a fist with confidence. "Of course! That seemed like a walk in the park!"

Yellow gave his final lesson in Pokemon catching. "Just remember, not all Pokemon will be weak enough to catch after one attack. Some might require stronger moves like Razor Leaf. Some Pokemon won't even go into a PokeBall unless you paralyze them or put them to sleep. And then there are some Pokemon that will run from you as soon as they see you! For those Pokemon, a special PokeBall is required, but I'll tell you more about that later. Right now, we need to get to Violet City and give you your first taste of the Pokemon League."

Their trip to Cherrygrove City was relatively uneventful. Wild Pokemon were afraid to come out after Silver stormed through there under Gekirin's influence. "Wow, things are quiet around here." Dami finally said.

Yellow grimaced. "After the show the two of you put on last night, it's no wonder! Many people will be afraid to leave their homes if more Pokemon battles took place within city limits! I remember this one time in Veilstone City in Sinnoh…"

Dami ignored his reminiscing. She saw a Pokemon lying on the ground, unconscious. "Hey! What is that?" She whipped out her Pokedex for the answer. "Hoothoot. The Owl Pokemon. It always stands on one foot. Even when attacked, it doesn't brace itself using both its feet. It typically weighs 46.7 lbs. and is usually around 2 feet 4 inches when standing on its foot."

Yellow looked dead serious. "We need to take that Pokemon to the Pokemon Center right away. It looks like it could die any minute now. The fact that its out here during daylight hours suggests that something is wrong with it."

Dami gasped in surprise, then scooped up the Hoothoot in her arms and dashed to the Pokemon Center. "Hello! Welcome to our Pokemon Center…"

"THERE'S NO TIME! THIS HOOTHOOT NEEDS MEDICAL ATTENTION RIGHT AWAY!" Yellow screamed as he burst in after Dami.

Nurse Joy snapped out of her preprogrammed trance. "Ah! Chansey! Blissey! Get a gurney out here stat! This Hoothoot looks terrible!"

At that moment, two large, egg-shaped Pokemon bounded out and took Hoothoot from Dami, cheerfully crying out there names as they dragged the gurney into the emergency room in the back.

"I'm sorry about that! I guess I've been overworked lately!" Nurse Joy apologized. She then realized who she was talking to. "Oh my goodness! You're… you're…"

Yellow hushed her. "Keep it on the down low, Nurse Joy. You see, we're on the trail of the red-haired boy who caused a scene here yesterday, and we can't risk drawing any unwanted attention."

Nurse Joy blushed, "Ah, well. It's so nice to see you again, Yellow!"

Yellow frowned. "Never mind that. We need to find out what's wrong with this Hoothoot."

Nurse Joy blurted, "RIGHT! Azumarril! I need to scrub in right away!"

Just then, a large blue and white Pokemon with a crooked tail and rabbit ears bounded in and used Water Gun on Nurse Joy's hands. Nurse Joy then put on latex gloves and rushed into the ER.

A half hour later, Nurse Joy walked through the ER doors. "The Hoothoot appears to be in stable condition now. Apparently, there were several lacerations under its feathers, as though it was thoroughly Vine Whipped!"

Yellow's expression remained solemn. "Vine Whip lacerations, hm? Do you suppose that this Hoothoot was anywhere near the Bellsprout Tower?"

Nurse Joy rubbed her chin thoughtfully. "It's entirely possible. Normally, a Flying-Type is more than a match for Grass Pokemon, but if the Bellsprout attacked it in a group, then even its type advantage wouldn't help it. Especially if…"

Then Nurse Joy and Yellow simultaneously said, "…the Bellsprout Tower Sages were responsible!"

Dami tilted her head in confusion. "Excuse me, but who are the Bellsprout Tower Sages?"

Yellow cocked his head in Dami's direction. "Oh right. You're new at this. Okay then. The Bellsprout Tower Sages are a group of people who uphold the traditions of the people of Violet City by guarding the Hidden Machine which teaches Flash to a Pokemon. However, these Sages will not give the HM to just anyone; Their leader must be defeated in battle in order to obtain the HM. In other words, it's entirely possible that this Hoothoot belonged to someone who challenged the Sages. Obviously, this Hoothoot was defeated… What this means is that whoever owned this Hoothoot abandoned it when he or she thought it was too weak!"

Dami cupped her hands over her mouth. "OH NO! That is horrible!"

Yellow crossed his arms. "I despise trainers who abandon their Pokemon because they think they're too weak. From personal experience, I can tell you that any Pokemon can be made into a winner, as long as you train long and train hard. If your Pokemon loses, that doesn't mean it's weak; it simply means that it needs more training. That is my philosophy."

Dami blushed. "Wow! That is so cool!" She stood up and picked an empty PokeBall from her backpack. "That is a really good philosophy! You know what, Yellow? I want to take Hoothoot with me!" Then she sheepishly grinned as she turned to Nurse Joy. "That is, as soon as it's able to move without hurting itself, right?"

Nurse Joy smiled. "That's a great idea! I estimate it will take an hour before Hoothoot can leave, so why don't you go ahead and go about your business while you're waiting?"

Yellow's warm smile returned to his face. "That's a great idea. Let's go, Dami. Your Sentinella and Chino will need all the training they can get if they're going to take on the Sages and Violet City's Gym Leader!"

"Right!" Dami left the empty PokeBall with Nurse Joy to recapture Hoothoot after it made a full recovery. Both Dami and Yellow left the Pokemon Center with their spirits renewed.

An hour later…

"I must say, Dami. Your progress has been quite impressive. Now that Sentinella has learned Defense Curl, it can withstand attacks better now." Yellow beamed with pride.

"Thank you, Yellow! I couldn't have done it without your help!" Dami giggled with delight. "Now let's check on Hoothoot!"

"Well said, Dami." But as the automatic doors of the Pokemon Center opened, the bandaged Hoothoot slammed into Yellow's head, knocking him to the ground. "HOOOOO!! HOOOOOOOOOOO!!!" Hoothoot was desperately trying to flap its tiny wings to fly.

"Oh my god! Are you all right, Yellow?" Dami bent over to see the extent of his injuries.

"Just a bump on the head. I'll be fine. Quickly! Catch that Hoothoot! There's no telling how badly it will get hurt if it gets away!" Yellow massaged his scalp as he pointed in the direction of Hoothoot.

"Right! Let's go, Sentinella!" She threw the PokeBall just ahead of the fleeing Hoothoot. Sentinella immediately snapped to attention, ready to intercept it. "HOOO HOOOOO!!!" The Hoothoot madly charged forward, ready to knock Sentinella over without a second thought. "Do it, Sentinella! Use Defense Curl!" Sentinella curled its tail in front of itself, just as Hoothoot collided with it. Hoothoot reeled from its own attack and fell over. "HOOOOooooooo…."

"Quickly, Nurse Joy! Where's that PokeBall I gave you?" Dami demanded.

"Right here! I'm sorry, but that Hoothoot knocked Chansey over to escape! Here!" Nurse Joy threw the PokeBall right to Dami. With a quick snap, Dami caught it. "I was hoping to do this peacefully, you know! POKEBALL GO!" The ball hit its mark, engulfing Hoothoot in red light before it disappeared. The ball shook once… twice… a third time… PING!

"Okay! I caught Hoothoot! Now, Nurse Joy! We need to treat Hoothoot right away!" Dami pulled both Joy and Yellow towards the Pokemon Center with all her strength.

"Hoothoot's going to be okay," Nurse Joy began, "but I wouldn't recommend sending it into battle until at least tomorrow."

"So, Dami. Have you thought of a nickname for Hoothoot yet?" Yellow asked.

"I sure have! I'm going to name her Snow after my mother!" Dami smiled. "How is it going, Snow?" As soon as she placed her hand on Hoothoot's forehead, everything appeared to be in photonegative to her. "HUH?! WHAT'S GOING ON?!" Then Dami was engulfed by darkness.

She heard a familiar voice, followed by some not-so-familiar voices.

"All right, old man. I hear you're guarding the valuable HM for Flash."

"Show respect to your elders, young man. I'm not going to give this HM to just anyone."

"Very well then. You can just give it to me."

"Not a chance. We don't just 'give these away'. You have to prove that your morality and your trainer's code are like a Bellsprout's stem; it always shakes, but it never falls."

"Hmph. Looks like I'm the one who's going to be teaching YOU a lesson; Even the most steadfast Bellsprout's stem is meant to be broken! GO HOOTHOOT!"

At those words, the world seemed to spin around Dami "EEEEYAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!!" In a bright flash of white light, Dami began to see the scene she had just heard. An old man wearing a dark blue robe was leaning on a cane in front of her. The walls surrounding them were plain and wooden. She looked behind her and saw… "SILVER! WHAT THE…" Swaying behind Silver was a large wooden pillar, which seemed content to sway back and forth for eternity.

"Hey, Hoothoot! What in the hell are you staring at me for?! I order you to attack that frail old man over there!" Silver had a dark aura around him that Dami didn't see before when she first saw him.

At that moment, Dami's vision was then forced back to the old man, whom Dami had deduced was the head Bellsprout Sage. "Ugh! Why can't I control what I'm doing?!" She then realized that both the Sage and Silver were between three and four times bigger than her!

"I see that your Pokemon doesn't trust you completely. How disappointing." The Sage pulled a PokeBall out of the sleeve of his robe. "If a Pokemon and its trainer don't trust each other, then they are doomed to fail. GO BELLSPROUT!" In a flash of white light, out popped a Pokemon that had roots for feet, a thin but stable stem for a torso, two small but broad leaves, and a yellow bell-shaped head with two beady black eyes and a pouting orange mouth. "Bel bel!" It growled.

Dami's vision was then forced back towards Silver. "Stop looking at me like that!" Then Silver's face began to change. His right eye turned black and its pupil turned red. His left eye turned red and its pupil turned green. "NOW ATTACK THAT LITTLE WEED OR I WILL MAKE YOU WISH YOU NEVER HATCHED!" The dark aura turned completely black and expanded to fill the whole room. Dami found it hard to breath.

"Wait a minute!" Dami suddenly realized, "I must be seeing things from Hoothoot's perspective! I am viewing her memory of her former master!"

Her vision spun around to see that the Bellsprout had grown at least three inches since she last saw it! "How do you like me now, you vile whippersnapper? When Bellsprout uses Growth, its Special Attack power goes up! I'd hate to do this to your Hoothoot, but I would rather cause a Pokemon to faint than see it ordered around by a trainer that doesn't respect it! Take out Hoothoot, Bellsprout! VINE WHIP!"

The Bellsprout suddenly shrank, then vines shot out of the floorboards, whipping right in Dami's direction. "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAUUUUGGGGGGHHH!" Dami felt each and every lash as though she WAS Hoothoot!

"I really do feel sorry for your Hoothoot, sonny. In the hands of a kinder trainer, it might have defeated my Bellsprout. Now I must ask you to take that Escape Rope in the corner and leave before I school you again!" The Sage rubbed Bellsprout's head with affection.

Dami felt weak from the whipping. She struggled to see what happened next. "Leave? Not without that HM I don't… GO CYNDAQUIL! USE FLAME WHEEL NOW!!" In a bright flash of white light, a more obedient Cyndaquil appeared, charging at full speed at the Bellsprout. It then shot flames out of its back and curled up into a ball. A trail of flames was left in Cyndaquil's wake, burning each vine to a crisp. Then the floor started to catch fire. Bellsprout had nowhere to go. It became incinerated in an instant. Exhausted, the Bellsprout fainted.

"GAH! BELLSPROUT! NOOO!!!" The Sage glared at the dark aura surrounding Silver. "Why, you're no trainer at all! YOU'RE A MONSTER!!"

In an instant, the Sage was being held up in the air by his throat. "I prefer the term Oni, thank you. Now hand over that HM if you don't want to forfeit your life!"

The Sage gasped for air as smoke began to fill the room in spite of its ventilation. He clenched his teeth as he reached for the disc-like HM. "Take it, demon! And little good may it do you!"

The Sage then fell to the ground, coughing from the smoke and being strangled by the Gekirin-esque Silver. "There's a good old man. Now I think it is time for you to realize just how short your life truly is!"

The Sage shouted, "WAIT! YOU GOT WHAT YOU WANTED! NOW PUT OUT THESE FLAMES!!"

The Oni-Silver rubbed his chin for a second in thought. "I think not. You failed to give it to me when you had the chance. I think it's time for your so-called ancient Bellsprout Tower to burn to the ground! Whether or not you live through it is up to you. Goodbye, mortal…" In a flash of purple smoke, Silver vanished.

The Dami/Hoothoot realized the situation, and struggled to get up. "It's no use! The smoke is too thick! I can't see a way out!"

Then a mighty Vine Whip shattered the wall behind her! "Go, Victreebel… help that poor Pokemon escape… It doesn't deserve to die for its master's sins…" With the last of his strength, the Sage hurled a large, upside-down bell object in Dami/Hoothoot's direction. "BEEEELLLL!!!" It roared. It wrapped its large vine around her and tucked it in its toothy, gaping maw. It leapt through the hole in the wall and fell… down… down… down…

"NOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!" Dami sprang up with a start, realizing she was back in Cherrygrove's Pokemon Center.

"Dami! What's wrong! Your skin turned pale and your pupils dilated just now!" Yellow rushed next to Dami.

"I don't know!" Dami stammered. "As soon as I touched Snow… It was like I was staring through her eyes! Only I saw Silver and an old man, and there was fire, and… and…" Dami swooned at remembering everything that happened.

"Whoa! Slow down there! Did you say that you saw what Snow saw in Violet City?" Yellow looked quite alarmed.

"Y-yes? I did…" Then Dami stared at Yellow sternly. "This has happened before, hasn't this?"

Yellow winced. "Boy, I can't hide anything from you, now can I?" Then Yellow looked up and saw Nurse Joy. "Excuse me, but I need to talk to Dami alone."

"Of course, Yellow!" She started to leave, "But don't try anything funny!"

As soon as she was in the other room, Yellow's attention turned to Dami. "Dami, don't ask me how I know this, but I believe you have an ability called the Dimensional Scream."

"Dimensional Scream? What is that?" Dami looked more confused than ever.

Yellow sighed in exasperation. "You're not going to believe me when I tell you this, but… For a few months in my life, I… I was… a Pokemon…"

Dami almost started to laugh. "Ha ha ha ha…. WHAT?! You, a Pokemon?!"

"I know it sounds crazy, but I was in a world of Pokemon separate from this one, where ONLY Pokemon inhabited it and they all spoke perfect English." Yellow was rolling his eyes, in complete disbelief that he was relating one of his many secrets to her. "Anyway, I turned into a Meowth at the time, and a Sinnoh native known as Piplup was my partner in dungeon exploration. We belonged to the Wigglytuff Guild and… Never mind. That's not important. What IS important is that every now and then, whenever I touched something, I saw something that either happened or was about to happen. I learned from a Dusknoir that the name of that ability was the Dimensional Scream. Of course, it turns out that Dusknoir was working for a feral Dialga… But I digress again…"

Dami looked annoyed. "Are you going somewhere with this?!"

"YES!!" Yellow shouted, "YOU HAVE THE DIMENSIONAL SCREAM! What you just saw was the result of it! That means that… Oh no…" Yellow ran outside and chucked a PokeBall into the air. "What do you see up there? Look in the direction of Violet City!!" After waiting a few moments, Dami heard the cry of a Pokemon that she never heard before. "It's just as I feared. RETURN!" Yellow dashed into the Pokemon Center once more. "It's really bad, Dami. There is a black stream of smoke coming from the City. I need you to stay here and keep watch over Snow until tomorrow. I'm going to try and go to Violet City as fast as I can and put out the flames. In the meantime, DON'T DO ANYTHING STUPID! You may train your Pokemon if you wish, but DON'T FOLLOW ME! The scale of the fire is beyond your capabilities as a trainer! I'll come back after I put out the fire!"

Dami couldn't take it all in at once. "What? But what if I need help training? What if Snow goes berserk again? What if I experience another Dimensional Scream? WHAT IF **YOU** NEED HELP?!"

Yellow stopped short of the exit long enough to turn around and smile at Dami. "Don't worry about me! I'm a seasoned veteran! I can handle this! And as for your training, I really don't have anything to teach you that you need to know at this time. As long as you return to the Pokemon Center if your Pokemon get hurt, you'll do fine! Just remember, the service is free, so take advantage of it!" Yellow then rushed outside once more and flung a PokeBall into the air. "Use Fly! Take me to Violet City!" Yellow then seemed to vanish with the wind as he grabbed the talon of a Pokemon Dami couldn't see.

Dami gave out a sigh as her attention returned to Snow. "You really went through a lot, didn't you?" She patted Snow on the head and smiled. "Don't worry, Snow. I'm not going to treat you like Silver did. I won't ask you to do anything that doesn't feel right, and I certainly will not abandon you."

Snow weakly opened its eyes, turned to Dami, and affectionately and gently nipped her finger. "Hoooooo…" she cried. Snow then closed its eyes and fell into a peaceful slumber.

Dami's expression turned to confusion and worry. Was Yellow really a Meowth at one time? Should she tell Yellow about the Akumu-Oni-Kiritsu? Why did she have the Dimensional Scream ability? And why couldn't she contact Elogas about all that had transpired? These questions swam in her head as she laid down on a couch to sleep, all the while hoping that Snow, Yellow, the Sages and their Bellsprout, and any Pokemon in Silver's possession would be alright.

Wow. Another great chapter come and gone! I had no idea when I started writing this that I would be making references to Pokemon Mystery Dungeon! And I'm sure everybody's wondering just who Yellow Edge is now! To quote Xellos from The Slayers, "Now THAT… is a secret!"

Please read and review!

Keep reading for the next chapter: "The Fall of Faulkner!"


	4. CH 04: The Fall Of Falkner!

Dreams Are What Pokemon Are Made Of

A Dreams Are What Life is Made Of / Pokemon Fanfiction.

This is only for use on . Do NOT publish as your own work.

All Pokemon Characters, Items, and Locations are copyrighted to Nintendo, Creatures, and Game Freak. Their permission was not asked for when writing this work, but this story is NOT intended for profit, but solely for entertainment.

All DAWLIMO Characters are mine.

Does everybody got that?

Good! On with the story!

**Chapter 4: The Fall of Falkner!**

-

Though Dami had laid down to take a nap, she did not sleep well. The images she saw and heard in the Dimensional Scream haunted her.

-

"GAH! BELLSPROUT! NOOO!!!" The Sage glared at the dark aura surrounding Silver. "Why, you're no trainer at all! YOU'RE A MONSTER!!"

In an instant, the Sage was being held up in the air by his throat. "I prefer the term Oni, thank you. Now hand over that HM if you don't want to forfeit your life!"

The Sage gasped for air as smoke began to fill the room in spite of its ventilation. He clenched his teeth as he reached for the disc-like HM. "Take it, demon! And little good may it do you!"

The Sage then fell to the ground, coughing from the smoke and being strangled by the Gekirin-esque Silver. "There's a good old man. Now I think it is time for you to realize just how short your life truly is!"

-

Even as she dreamt it, Dami could feel the heat of the flames, engulfing Snow, the Sage, and the entire Bellsprout Tower. Dami could swear that her skin was beginning to crack and peel from the heat. She awoke with a start, sweating and breathing heavily. "So awful… I thought the Akumu-Oni-Kiritsu were bad before! But the typical anime stereotypes in Pokemon seem to amplify their power! Gekirin alone has caused more pain and destruction here than my world! I can't even imagine the chaos the other six are causing!"

Dami then glanced at her PokeGear to see what time it was. "Yikes! It's 6:00 pm already! How long was I out?!" At that moment, her PokeGear began to ring. "It's Yellow! I wonder what he wants?"

"Eh heh heh heh… I don't know how it happened Dami, but I'm in real trouble here…" Yellow chuckled sheepishly.

Dami shouted into the PokeGear with concern, "TROUBLE! I KNEW I SHOULDN'T HAVE LET YOU FIGHT THAT FIRE ALONE!!"

"Take it easy, Dami! It's not that kind of trouble!" Yellow reassured her.

"What do you mean?" Dami asked.

"Well you see, I came just in time to put out the fire before anyone got hurt, but then the police arrived on the scene. As soon as they did, they asked the sage about his attacker. Of course, he identified him as a trainer who used a Hoothoot and a Cyndaquil. That was all he could say before he passed out. So what do the police do? They seize my Pokedex and find that I have indeed caught both Pokemon! Before I could explain things, they arrested me! By the way, this is my one phone call…" Yellow explained.

"YOU GOT ARRESTED?! But you helped put out the fire!" Dami couldn't believe it.

"All the same, I need someone to vouch for me that I wasn't the one who started the fire. Since Violet City doesn't have a jail, they're keeping me in cuffs at the trainer's school. THE NERVE! I don't need to be at the trainer's school! I know the different types of status afflictions by heart! PARALYZE, SLEEP, BURN, FREEZE, POISON, INFATUATION, CONFUSION, FAINTED!" Yellow's ranting was interrupted.

"All right! You've said enough, you criminal! Tomorrow you'll be tried by this city's Gym Leader, Falkner! And I hope you know how to handle Flying Pokemon…" said a feminine but stern voice.

"Don't I ever! Flying-Types are weak against Rock, Ice, and Electric attacks! If the Flying-type is part Normal, the Fighting-Type will work too! If a Pokemon uses Gravity, even Ground-type attacks will work…" Yellow rattled off.

"Yeah, yeah, tell it to Falkner during your trial! Unless the person you're calling comes by 6 am tomorrow, you're going to have a bigger handicap! NOW GET MOVING!" the female voice said.

"Listen to me before they hang up my PokeGear, Dami! I need you to come to Violet City as soon as possible! And on your way, please try to catch a Geodude and a Zubat! I think you're going to need them!" Yellow stated urgently.

"Geodude and Zubat? Where can I find them?" Dami asked.

"Remember the lake and the cave Professor Elm told you about? You'll find them in the cave! Stay near the entrance, though, because that cave will be pitch black at night! Once you get them, Violet City is a straight shot to the west! I'm counting on you, Dami!" With a click, Yellow's voice was gone.

Dami stood up suddenly. "6 AM?! I'm not sure if I can make it! And Yellow wants me to catch a Geodude and a Zubat WITHOUT HIS HELP?! AUGH! As if I didn't have enough to worry about!" Looking at the bed where Snow was laying down, Dami made up her mind. "Snow isn't going to be ready in time for this! I have to get my hands on those Pokemon!" She pulled Snow into her PokeBall and strapped her backpack on. "This is my first real test as a Pokemon Trainer! It's like everything that Yellow has taught me so far has prepared me for a pop quiz! It's time to get moving!"

-

Dami proceeded north out of Cherrygrove City, along the way hoping that no trainers would be out at night. She saw the fork in the road where going right would lead to Mr. Pokemon's house. "I'm going left this time. I just know it!" Much to her surprise, the same trainers that she and Yellow saw the other day were still there, even though their battle had long since ended. _ "Just don't make eye contact. If they think I'm a trainer, they'll only slow me down!" _Dami thought to herself.

Strangely enough, she made it past them without being noticed. Curious, she snuck up on the one at the top of the small hill to look at his face. He was actually asleep on his feet! "Whew! That's a close one! I think I see the cave just ahead…" Dami waded through the tall grass, narrowly missing a sleepy Spinarak. "EEK! Pokemon can be bugs TOO?!" Dami tiptoed past it, hoping not to wake it up. At last, she stood before the cave. "7:00 PM. Good. I still have 11 hours left! Maybe I can reach Violet City in enough time to get a few hours sleep!"

With the utmost caution, she entered the cave. "Remember what Yellow said; stay near the entrance, because it's dark in here." Dami took a few steps forward, when she tripped on a rock! "AAAAAAUUGGHHH!!" Dami regained her balance, when all of a sudden, the rock she tripped over began to move! "WHAT?! THE ROCK IS ALIVE?!" Dami then realized something. "Wait a minute; if Pokemon can be Bugs, then they can probably be rocks as well! GO POKEDEX!"

In a brief flash of light, the Pokedex identified the Pokemon. "Geodude. The Rock Pokemon. Many travelers mistake them for boulders and trip on them without warning. Geodude are typically 1 foot 4 inches when curled up in a ball and weigh 44.1 lbs."

"So that's a Geodude…" Dami mused briefly. "I guess if I'm going to catch one, I better send out CHINO!" With a bright flash, out came Chino. "CHI CHI CHIKO!" it growled. "Go for it, Chino! Use Tackle!" Chino dashed towards Geodude, still curling up in defense. With a smack of its hand, Chino was sent screeching across the ground back towards Dami!

Much to her surprise, the Dami's Pokedex gave an exasperated sigh. "Haven't you been paying attention? Geodude is a ROCK Pokemon! Normal attacks aren't very effective against them!"

Dami then found herself arguing with the normally non-confrontational device. "Excuse me, but I'm trying to catch it! Not kill it!"

"Oh, excuuuuussee me, princess! But if you don't start getting aggressive, you'll find yourself going to the Pokemon Center on a stretcher!" Sniped the agitated Pokedex.

"POWER OFF!" Dami said as she closed the Pokedex to pocket it. "Chino! Use Razor Leaf, but try to aim for its hands!" Chino obeyed, as it swung the leaf on its head to launch razor-sharp leaves at the Geodude. Dami's plan worked, as the leaves struck Geodude's hands, pinning it against the stony floor. It struggled to no avail. "Now's my chance! GO POKEBALL!" Dami could not miss her mark. The Geodude vanished in an instant. However, it was so dark, dami could only see the button on her PokeBall glowing red as it shook back and forth on the cold stone floor. Once… Twice… Three Times… PING! The light vanished. "YAHOO!! I CAUGHT GEODUDE!"

Her words echoed through the dark cave, alerting not one, but dozens of Zubat to her presence! They swooped down and fluttered just above her head. "EEEEEEEEYYAAAAAAAAAHHH!!! Let's get out of here, Chino!" Dami and Chino ran for the barely lit outdoors. A few Zubat followed them outside. Being completely blind, the Zubat had no concept of day or night. "Aw, crap! Look's like we have no choice but to fight, Chino!" Both turned around and stood their ground. "Let them have it! Razor Leaf!" SLASH! CRACK! WHIZZ! With three waves of its leaf, three Zubat fell in spite of their type advantage. One Zubat remained in midair. It then unleashed a Supersonic Wave at Chino. "GOOD GOD THAT'S LOUD! RETURN, CHINO!" Dami held out her PokeBall and Chino vanished from sight. "GO SENTINELLA!" The perky Sentinella appeared in a flash of white and immediately stood at attention on the tip of its tail. "Go into a Defense Curl and Tackle it!" Sentinella did so, and something amazing happened! As Sentinella curled up, it began to spin at high speed! "What's going on?" Dami pulled out the Pokedex, hoping for an answer.

"Sentret is currently using Rollout attack. By curling up into a ball, it becomes as hard as a rock, mowing over anything in its path, inflicting more and more damage with consecutive hits." The Pokedex stated.

"Wow! I'm good! Go, Sentinella! Use Rollout on Zubat!" Zubat with all its echolocation couldn't have seen it coming. Sentinella connected in one try, sending the Zubat reeling. "All right! Now let's catch it! POKEBALL GO!" Before Zubat could regain its mid-air balance, the PokeBall hit it, causing it to vanish in a flash of red. The red sphere dropped straight to the ground, a familiar red light glowing as it shuddered. Once… Twice… Three times… PING! "Aw, yeah! I caught Zubat! It looks like Yellow doesn't need to teach me anything else when it comes to catching Pokemon!" Then she got tripped by something; Sentinella's Rollout made it keep going! "Owww… Looks like I still have a lot to learn about training Pokemon. Sentinella! RETURN!"

Dami looked around to get her bearings straight. "Okay, the lake and the cave are over there. So that means I go left to make it to Violet City." She proceeded carefully through the tall grass and finally found herself in front of the Pokemon Center.

-

"Welcome to the Violet City Pokemon Center! We can restore your Pokemon to perfect health! May I take your Pokemon?" said a startlingly familiar pink-haired woman.

"Yes please… Wait a minute! How did you get to Violet City ahead of me?!" Dami was confused.

"Hm? What do you mean?" said Nurse Joy, who took Dami's PokeBalls to the healing machine. "Did you perchance come from Cherrygrove City? You must have met THAT city's Nurse Joy!"

That's when it dawned on Dami; she remembered what Yellow told her. "Every Pokemon Center has one, you know? Nurse Joy, of course! They are all sisters and cousins who all come from the same family, who ironically all decided to become employed as nurses at Pokemon Centers across the globe."

"Argh… all this stuff is giving me a headache. Tell you what, Nurse Joy." Dami began. "I need to visit the Pokemon Trainer's School for a while, so could you hold on to my Pokemon until I return?"

"Yes, of course! It will be my pleasure!" Nurse Joy agreed. "Since you're new here, I'll tell you where the School is; It's in the building just north of here!"

"Thank you very much." Dami turned and left.

-

"There you are Dami!" said Yellow, who appeared to have several bruises on his face, "I trust you caught a Geodude and a Zubat on your way here?"

"Yes I did! Plus I accidentally taught my Sentinella how to use Rollout!" Dami said, "But never mind that! What the hell happened to you?!"

"Just a few bruises. The Police wanted me to relinquish my username and password to my Pokemon Storage System Account, so they beat it out of me." Yellow winced at the pain. "But that's great news! Teaching your Sentinella Rollout will be crucial for what happens tomorrow!"

"Why? What's happening tomorrow?" Dami asked nervously.

"My trial. The thing is, this isn't a trial like what you probably remember from television." Yellow started to explain, "In actuality, when someone is on trial here, you aren't judged by a jury of your peers in front of a judge with an attorney prosecuting you and an attorney defending you, oh no. Your character is judged in a Pokemon Battle. And tomorrow's judge is Violet City's Gym Leader, Falkner. He specializes in the Flying-Type, mostly using Pokemon previously owned by his father, the former Violet Gym Leader. The thing is, the reason I asked you to catch those Pokemon is that you are going to help me battle on my behalf."

"WHAT?! Battle a Gym Leader when I've only been at it a few days?! ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR FUCKING MIND?!" Dami exclaimed.

"Like it or not, those were the terms the police gave me. My alibi for what happened was that I was training you to be a Pokemon Trainer, so they want you to team up with me in tomorrow's Battle Trial to see how well I trained you." Yellow blinked in pain as sweat from his brow got in his eyes. "However, rumor has it that Falkner is not going to hold back on us. I understand that he made a special trip to the Kanto region to seek out some legendary Pokemon. I just hope he didn't succeed in capturing those Pokemon, or we're in REAL trouble…"

"Legendary Pokemon? Is that bad?" Dami took out a bandana from her backpack to wipe the sweat out of Yellow's eyes.

"Bad? Not bad; just the worst case scenario, Dami." Yellow half-heartedly joked. "If he went after Articuno, Zapdos, and Moltres, then we'll be facing some of the strongest Pokemon in existence with low-level Pokemon in our corner. I know I'm asking a lot of you, Dami, but I need you to take your Pokemon and train them until dawn. If you do that, then we might stand a chance!"

"TRAIN 'TIL DAWN?! I'll be exhausted before the Battle Trial!" Dami complained.

"It's our only hope, Dami! The Bellsprout Tower Sage is in critical condition right now, so if we lose tomorrow's battle, it could be the death penalty for both of us!" Yellow's eyes were red from crying and the sweat stinging them. "Please… I'm begging you… train like our lives depend on it, because it does!"

-

And so, Dami trained in the grassy area just east of Violet City, making return trips to the Pokemon Center when necessary. "That's it, Granitor! Finish it with Rock Throw!" Dami's newly-named Geodude flung rocks at a wild Hoothoot, causing it to faint. "Way to go, Azula! Swoop down and use Leech Life!" Dami's Zubat obeyed and brought down a wild Bellsprout. _"I just hope this is going to be enough…"_

-

By 5 A.M., Dami was exhausted. She could barely keep her eyes open. Dami opened her Pokedex to check on the stats of her Pokemon. "Heh… They're all at least level 10. Chino's my star at level 15. I was too afraid of training Snow, so I don't know what level she's at." She shut off her Pokedex and put it in her back pocket. "Maybe I can get at least a 45-minute nap at the Pokemon Center…" As Dami entered, she saw the police at the computer terminal next to the service counter.

"Which Pokemon did Falkner say he wanted again?" said a rather stupid looking, pudgy cop.

"You were too busy stuffing your face with donuts to pay attention again, weren't you?" said a slim but shapely female officer with green hair. "Falkner wants the defendant to have six Pokemon for the trial under the following conditions: Two Pokemon must be the ones the Sage identified, so that means Hoothoot and Cyndaquil. One Pokemon must be the trainer's very first Starter Pokemon, so that means Blastoise. One Pokemon must be the trainer's first catch, so that means Pidgeot. One Pokemon must be the trainer's most recent catch, so that means Wailord. The last Pokemon must be one that the trainer feels strongly about, so that means Empoleon. Hoothoot, Cyndaquil, Blastoise, Pidgeot, and Wailord makes six." The female officer withdrew the Pokemon as she mentioned them, making sure to exchange Yellow's Pokemon accordingly. "Now take these to the Trainer's School and attach the Pokeballs to the defendant's belt. ON THE DOUBLE!"

"Yes, MA'AM! Right away, MA'AM!" The dumpy officer replied as the took the Pokeballs right towards the exit, nearly bumping into Dami on his way out. "Excuse me miss! Aren't you up a little early to be Pokemon training?"

"Actually, I've been up all night…" Dami groggily replied.

The female officer whizzed around and locked eyes with Dami. "Then you must be the defendant's accomplice! You're under arrest by order of the Violet City Police!"

"Don't have a hissy fit, officer," Dami reassured her, "I'm too tired to put up a fight… I'll go quietly if it means I'll get some sleep before the trial…" Then Dami passed out, nearly knocking the Pokeballs out of the hands of the fat officer.

-

"Wake up, you criminal!" Dami heard an unfamiliar voice say. Dami was so tired she could barely move. "I SAID WAKE UP! THE TRIAL IS ABOUT TO START!" Then the man the voice belonged to kicked Dami in the gut.

"HOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAARRRRGGGHHH!!" Dami moaned in pain as she wearily got to her feet. She had trouble, though, as she noticed chains binding her ankles. "What in the…"

"I'LL BE ASKING THE QUESTIONS, YOU VILE BITCH!!" The man behind the voice then smacked Dami across the face. After wincing from the pain, Dami opened her eyes to face her attacker. "The yellow-haired boy there claims he was training you for the last couple of days. If that's the truth, then you should have no trouble defeating me in battle. If you don't the both of you will be executed, UNDERSTOOD!" The man had dark blue hair, with one part covering his right eye. He wore a medium blue gi and a light blue overshirt with white trim. He also wore black leather wrist guards with red trim. He also wore long, knee-length white socks under his black sandals with red spots in the center of the thongs. "My name is Falkner. Today, I will determine whether or not you get to live to see the Zephyr Badge. And don't you even DARE insult my bird Pokemon! I'm on a short fuse as it is, and I'll will NOT have my father's memory marred by insults from strange criminals!"

Dami almost began to protest, but then she looked to her right, seeing Yellow in chains as she was, shaking his head, as if to tell her not to speak. Dami nodded back, hoping to get this ordeal overwith.

"Is everything understood? Good! Referee! Please announce the rules as I make my way to the other side!" Falkner shouted to Earl, the teacher from the Pokemon Trainer School, who agreed to ref the trial battle.

"Okay! The rules today are VERY VERY SIMPLE! Each trainer is allowed to use up to six Pokemon for this battle! Both challengers are allowed to use one Pokemon at a time, while the Gym Leader may use two…" Then someone whispered in Earl's ear. "What? You mean SHE'S here?! MY MY MY GOODNESS! THIS IS A TREAT!" Earl then spun around a few times before continuing with the rules. "Ladies and Gentlemen! There's been a change in plans! The Gym Leader will not be battling alone for this extravaganza! Today, he will be joined by special guest judge, flown in specially all the way from Fortree City in the Hoenn Region, the Gym Leader Winona!"

Yellow's eyes were red with rage. "THIS IS AN OUTRAGE!! I thought that Falkner was the only one we're being tried by today! There's no way that…" Then the green-haired officer Dami saw earlier struck Yellow in the back of the head. "EEEEEEEYYYARRRRGGGHHHH!!!"

Dami's heart leapt into her throat, preventing her from crying out Yellow's name, forced to remain silent as Earl droned on with the rules. "Now each Gym Leader is limited to one Pokemon at a time! If the challengers manage to defeat the Gym Leaders, then they will be found VERY VERY INNOCENT! HOWEVER! If the girl is defeated, then both challengers will be executed at DAWN TOMORROW! If the guy is defeated, the girl has the option of continuing the battle with two Pokemon at a time or confessing to the desecration of Bellsprout Tower and the critical injury of its most revered Sage!"

Dami felt a wave of doom wash over her._** "The whole trial… depends on me?"**_

Yellow clenched his teeth tightly. "This is worse than a worse-case scenario! Now we're up against two Gym Leaders, one of which has Legendary Birds on his team! Now our odds are near-impossible!

As Winona approached Falkner to shake his hand, she did a double-take when she noticed the ones on trial. "Hold on, Falkner! Don't we know the yellow-haired guy?"

Falkner withdrew his hand before she could shake it. "It doesn't matter who he is. If he burned down Bellsprout Tower, it is my duty to wring the truth out of him."

Winona balled up her fist and rested it on her chest, her face filled with worry. "But… he's the one who helped clear out the Kecleon infestation outside of my Gym…"

Falkner began to glow with a dark aura. "That's enough, Winona. I called you here to help me ascertain the innocence or guilt of him. Are you with me or not?"

Winona's eyes began to tear up. "Yes. I'm with you…"

Earl practically bounced up and down like a beach ball as we waved the flags indicating the beginning of the trial battle. "READY?! BEGIN!!"

Falkner and Winona released their Pokemon at the same time. "CREEEEEEEEE!!!!" cried out Falkner's newly acquired Zapdos. Its feathers were yellow and pointed like lightning bolts. Winona sent out her Pelipper, a suspiciously Pelican-like Pokemon. "PEELLLIIIII!!"

Yellow reached for his PokeBalls. "This is very bad… I've got to wipe them both out at once! GO NAPO!" He flung his PokeBall containing the very tall Penguin Pokemon, Empoleon. With a trident-like crown on its beak, it cried out with a loud squawk. "EMPOOOOOOO!!"

Dami called out to Yellow, "Quick! What Pokemon should I send out against those?"

Yellow looked sternly at Dami. "It doesn't matter! They're way too strong for anything you've got! Leave it to me!"

Falkner pulled out a megaphone and shouted, "Earl, you forgot one very important rule! SAY IT!"

Earl was sweating buckets. "Uh, yes! Right away! If either challenger refuses to send out a Pokemon, then the whole team forfeits!"

Yellow growled in anguish. "I don't believe it… Just send out Geodude. At least it is protected against Zapdos' Electricity…"

Dami smiled. "All right! Let's go, GRANITOR!" In a flash of white light, her Geodude popped out, growling its name.

When it saw Winona's Pelipper, it let out a scared yelp. "Geo? GEEEEOOOOOO!!!!!"

"What's wrong? I thought Rock-Types rock against Flying-Types!" Dami was puzzled.

"That's because Pelipper is part Water-Type!" Yellow commented, "Rock Pokemon, although strong against Flying-Types, have the most weaknesses, Water included! Just take care of Zapdos for me! I'll handle Pelipper!"

Falkner gave a low chuckle. "Heh heh heh… To think you hold that Empoleon in such high regard, just because it's part-Steel. It's still a Water Pokemon, and I'm going to demolish it! ZAPDOS! Fly in and use Thundershock!" Zapdos obeyed with deadly cunning, flying at incredible speeds to unleash a light but effective electric assault on Empoleon.

"Hang in there, Napo! Remember to concentrate on Pelipper! Use Ice Beam!" Yellow pointed his fist at Pelipper. Napo recoiled from the Thundershock, but obediently fired a concentrated stream of cold air at Pelipper, causing its wings to frost over. The Pelipper struggled in vain to stay airborne, and plummeted to the ground. "Now's our chance! Dami! Tell Geodude to attack!"

"All right! Granitor! Use Rock Throw! Aim for Zapdos!" Dami ordered. Granitor dug its hands into the ground and pulled out rocks, chucking them at Zapdos. One rock hit Zapdos' eye, causing it to reel and unleash electricity out of control, with one stray bolt hitting Pelipper. The attacks were effective enough to cause Pelipper to faint!

"WOWEE! It looks like Winona's Pelipper is DOWN FOR THE COUNT! That's one for the defendants!" Earl shouted excitedly.

Falkner clenched his teeth as his aura turned darker. "No… It's not meant to be this way… WINONA! SEND OUT ANOTHER ONE IMMEDIATELY!"

Winona recalled her Pelipper, hesitating just a little before grabbing another Pokeball. _"I don't know what's wrong with Falkner today… I still don't see how a Pokemon battle could prove guilt…"_ she thought to herself. " HERE GOES! GO SKARMORY!" An instant later, a metallic raptor came swooping out of the sky, ready to divebomb Dami's Granitor.

"Oh no you don't! Napo! Use Shadow Claw! Deflect that Skarmory!" The veteran of many Pokemon battles cried out to his faithful Empoleon. Napo's right wing glowed purple as it swung at Winona's Skarmory.

"ENOUGH PROTECTING HER!!" shouted Falkner, whose dark aura was now twice the original size. Right before everyone's eyes, Falkner's normally dark blue hair became yellow, and his face was obscured by darkness, letting only a red pair of eyes shine through. The aura surrounding Falkner closed in on him, surrounding him as it formed a deep dark brown cloak. Falkner raised his head as he spoke not only in his own voice, but also in a high-pitched, whiney female tone of voice as well. "IT'S NOT FAIR! YOUR EMPOLEON IS TOO STRONG! BY THE END OF THIS BATTLE, IT WILL BE MINE! ALL MINE!"

Dami shuddered in horror as she realized what just happened to Falkner. "Oh my God! Falkner has been possessed by Netami the Envy!"

Yellow looked Dami's way. "Netami the WHAT?!"

Dami looked very serious. "Never mind! I think we need to win this battle to exorcise him! Granitor! Use Rock Throw on Zapdos again!" Granitor pulled more rocks from the ground and chucked them at the possessed Falkner's Zapdos.

"NOT THIS TIME, CHOSEN ONE! ZAPDOS! USE DRILL PECK TO EVADE THE ROCKS!" Netami/Falkner shouted with increasing intensity. Zapdos then spun around in mid-air, causing a tornado-like vacuum to form around it, flinging the thrown rocks in every direction. One stray rock hit Earl in the head.

"MY MY MY MY MY! What a…" Earl fainted as blood trickled from his forehead.

Winona was horrified at the events. "FALKNER! You need to stop this battle right now!"

Netami/Falkner looked angrily at Winona. "You're battling too weakly! GIMME YOUR POKEMON!" Pieces of Netami's cloak began to reach out and surround Winona. She shrieked in horror when she realized that Netami stole all her Pokemon!

Winona was outraged! "GIVE ME BACK MY POKEMON, FALKNER!"

Netami stuck out her tongue as she grabbed all the PokeBalls and tossed them into the arena! "SORRY! FALKNER'S NOT HOME RIGHT NOW! And with no judge, I WILL WIN AND GET EVERYBODY'S POKEMON! NYA HA HA HA HA!! COME ON OUT EVERYBODY!"

In a blinding flash that easily lasted five seconds, every pokemon the two Gym Leaders had were stirring up a dust tornado with their flapping wings, save for Pelipper, who was crying in pain from its injuries.

"NOTHING CAN STOP ME NOW! ZAPDOS! USE THUNDER! ARTICUNO! USE BLIZZARD! MOLTRES! USE FIRE BLAST! PIDGEOT! SKY ATTACK! NOCTOWL! WHIRLWIND! MURKROW! FAINT ATTACK! SKARMORY! STEEL WING! ALTARIA! DRAGON RAGE! SWELLOW! ENDEAVOUR! DESTROY EVERYTHING IN SIGHT!" Netami howled like a banshee without missing a beat.

Dami's eyes began to tear up in despair. "WHAT SHOULD WE DO, YELLOW?!"

Yellow shouted back, "DON'T GIVE UP! JUST SEND OUT ALL OF YOUR POKEMON! THE RULES DON'T SEEM TO APPLY ANYMORE ANYWAY!"

Out sprang Chikorita, Sentret, Zubat, Blastoise, Cyndaquil, Hoot-Hoot, Pidgeot, and Wailord, crying their names as they readied for battle.

"Do it, Napo! Use Surf to try and Counter Attack!" Yellow ordered. Napo struck the ground with its flipper, causing a tidal wave to erupt from the ground. It gushed towards the impending onslaught, knocking half of the enemy Pokemon to the ground, while others soared above it, continuing their attacks. "MOW THE REST OF THEM DOWN, MOBY! ROLLOUT!" Yellow's Wailord swam on top of the wave, turning to the side as its massive body began to spin rapidly, causing all but the three legendary birds to hit the ground. "Time to finish this, Kamehameha! Use Hydro Pump!" Yellow's Blastoise aimed the massive pressurized jets on its soldiers at the birds with the suspiciously Spanish-sounding last syllables in their names. As water gushed from Kamehameha, one stream hit Moltres directly, causing it to plummet. Articuno used its Ice Beam to freeze the other stream, all the way to Kamehameha! With no way to dodge, Zapdos connected with the turtle Pokemon using its Thunder Attack, causing Yellow's oldest friend to faint in an instant.

"Your friend is talented, Chosen One! But he's no match for the legendary trio of Kanto! Notice that Moltres is like a phoenix! It will rise again from its ashes!" Netami/Falkner gloated. As if casting a spell, those words revived Moltres!

Dami shouted to Yellow. "Why didn't you attack with the others?"

Yellow grimaced as he said, "Pidgeot is weak against two-thirds of the legendary trio, and the Cyndaquil and Hoot-Hoot I have are only babies! I bred them to use for trading Pokemon! A mistake that, I must admit, we're all going to pay for now… But you didn't send out YOUR Hoot-Hoot! Why are you holding back?!"

Dami frowned. "Snow is still weak from the incident at Bellsprout Tower, or have you forgotten already?!"

Yellow's eyes narrowed. "And I had great faith in you… You don't trust your Pokemon to come through for you?"

As Yellow said that, Chino was sent flying past Dami's head. "CHINO! OH NO!" Chino was clearly in no shape to keep battling.

Netami/Falkner laughed wickedly as Winona fainted from the sight of all the carnage. "You're running out of friends, Chosen One! It looks like the stupid old elf made a HUGE mistake in sending you here! When I knock out the rest of your Pokemon, YOU WILL DIE!"

Articuno unleashed a Blizzard which froze Granitor and Azula solid. Moltres burnt Sentinella to a crisp. Zapdos made short work of Yellow's Pidgeot. Things were looking quite grim. "What are you waiting for, Dami? Send out your Hoot-Hoot! WE ARE RUNNING OUT OF OPTIONS!" Yellow was pleading.

Dami couldn't take the pressure. She closed her eyes as she fell to her knees. Teardrops rolled down her fair cheeks as she took it all in. _"Is this the end? Didn't I train hard enough last night?"_ These thoughts echoed in her mind as she fell into despair.

-

"Giving up so soon?" A familiar voice called out.

Dami's eyes sprang open as she found herself floating in darkness. "ELOGAS? IS THAT YOU? PLEASE HELP! I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO!!"

As he always appeared to Dami in her dream adventures, Elogas' massive floating disembodied head descended to her level. "Things look bleak right now, and you know better than anyone that light shines the brightest when in the depths of darkness."

Dami shrugged as she explained what happened. "Violet's Gym Leader Falkner was so obsessed with obtaining the power to defeat us that he was possessed by Netami the Envy! Everyone's Pokemon are dropping like flies! All I have left is the injured Hoot-Hoot previously owned by Silver! WHAT **CAN** I DO?"

Elogas smiled gently as his image began to fade, slowly revealing the image of Yellow Edge. "Maybe you need to listen to your friends, Dami." Elogas' voice said through Yellow's mouth. "Just because Hoot-Hoot was hurt at the Bellsprout Tower incident doesn't mean it can't fight. Believe in it, and you still have a chance at winning!"

Dami's faith in her Pokemon was renewed in an instant. Her birthmarks began to glow white as she experienced an all too familiar sensation. "DREAM ADAPTATION TRANSFORMATION!" She called out.

The clothes she was wearing vanished as her body glowed with intense light. Threads materialized out of nowhere as they had began to spin and knit around Dami's body. Her head became adorned with a light stocking cap, colored white with yellow trim. Her hair braided itself into two long, upcurving pigtails. Her body was wrapped up with a red, form-fitting tank top and yellow shorts. Her arms became enveloped by a long-sleeved white overshirt that was cut off at the bottom just below her bust line. Brand new white and red tennis shoes covered her feet. She opened her eyes, her confidence restored in herself as she called out "Pokemon Trainer Dami Form!"

-

Netami had ordered the trio to finish off Yellow's Pokemon, and they obeyed without question. Moby's Thick Fat was no use against a tri-elemental assault. Although Napo was young, it grew exhausted from fighting this long. Yellow knew he had to act fast. "It looks like we don't have a choice, Napo. We must use our last resort to give Dami a little more time to get her act together! USE HYDRO CANNON!" Napo's eyes glowed blue as its beak began to swirl water in a spherical pattern. The concentrated water then fired like a Hyper Beam, destroying part of the gym in its wake. Zapdos had used Light Screen to protect its comrades. Napo had reached its limit; the Hydro Cannon had drained it of all its strength. Yellow's last hope had fallen over; unconscious. "This can't be! If I had my choice of Pokemon, I never would have lost to such cheap tactics!"

Netami/Falkner had heard enough. "You're out of Pokemon, CRIMINAL! YOU ARE SENTENCED TO…"

"Not so fast, Netami!"

"What?! No! IT CAN'T BE!!" Netami was shrieking with rage and terror.

Dami stood in the same spot, only different than before. Yellow was stunned. "DAMI?! When in the HELL did you have time to change your clothes?!"

Dami was overflowing with confidence. "I'm not the same Dami as before, Yellow! Things look bad right now, but I KNOW I'M GOING TO WIN!"

Netami's darkness enshrouded face began to bead up with sweat. "YOU'RE BLUFFING, CHOSEN ONE! I WIPED THE WALLS WITH THE BLOOD OF YOUR PARTNER'S POKEMON!"

Dami smirked a cocky smirk. "I still have one Pokemon left. The battle must go on!"

Netami's rage caused her aura to explode. "YOU'RE LYING! BUSHOU SAID THAT YOU ONLY HAD FOUR BATTLE-READY POKEMON!!"

Dami laughed. "I don't know where that slothful brainy eyeball gets his information from, but he clearly overlooked one important detail; I'M THE CHOSEN ONE!!"

Netami whined with disapproval. "I WON'T GIVE YOU A CHANCE TO SEND THAT POKEMON OUT! ARTICUNO! ZAPDOS! MOLTRES! ATTACK DAMI OWL! TRI-ATTACK!!" The three legendary avians flew in formation as they dive-bombed Dami.

"Snow, use Reflect." Dami uttered as she gently pushed the button on her PokeBall. The still-bandaged Hoot-Hoot emitted a solid but opaque barrier between Dami and her attackers. The birds were enraged that the attack failed and began to attack each other!

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING! DON'T KILL EACH OTHER! KILL **HER**!!" Netami roared.

"It's too late, Netami. The balance between Fire, Ice, and Lightning has been upset. Your strategy is broken." Dami's eyes flashed with faith. "You're the one who's going down!"

Netami's aura exploded again. "**ENOUGH!!** I ONLY NEED ONE POKEMON TO KILL YOU! ZAPDOS! STOP THE OTHER TWO USING DISCHARGE!!" Zapdos' eyes glowed yellow as it emitted a large amount of electrical energy, causing the other parts of its trio to fall unconscious.

In that instant before the two hit the ground, Snow began to glow brightly. "What's going on?!" Dami wondered out loud.

Yellow's face lit up with hope. "It's amazing! In one Reflect move, your Hoot-Hoot was put over the top! It's evolving!"

The Pokemon that could have passed for an oddly-shaped beach ball was growing in size, with a v-shaped crest atop its forehead. Spots appeared on its chest as it nearly tripled in size. "HOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!" It hooted wildly.

At that moment, Dami's Pokedex chirped up. "Congratulations! Your Hoot-Hoot has evolved into Noctowl! This nocturnal Pokemon gains limited Psychic abilities to track its prey."

Yellow stared in disbelief at his apprentice's sudden boost in luck and confidence. "No. Way."

"WAY!" replied Dami with all due enthusiasm. "DO IT NOW, SNOW! BRING DOWN ZAPDOS WITH HYPNOSIS!" Snow's eyes glowed red as it stared intently into Zapdos' still yellow-glowing eyes. Zapdos' eyes grew heavy as the color left them. Unable to maintain flight, Zapdos crashed to the ground next to its fiery and icy counterparts.

"GAH! YOU'RE ALL WORTHLESS! I can't believe my human host wasted his time catching you!" Netami screeched with rage. "Looks like there's only one thing left to do…"

"Surrender?" Dami interrupted.

"NO, YOU FOOL! I WANT MORE! MORE MORE MORE!! I Don't NEED Falkner's Pokemon to do you in! I AM ENVY! I CAN SUMMON WHATEVER I WANT! AND I SUMMON THE LEGENDARY RAINBOW PHOENIX HO-OH!" Netami raised a hand into the air, firing a beam that caused the clouds above her to swirl into a portal. Emerging from the portal was a bird that was even larger than Kanto's legendary trio. Its feathers were mostly red, with feathers shining like the sun ranging in color from royal purple to goldenrod. The tiny feathers surrounding its red glowing eyes were as black as coal. Its yellow-orange beak let out a roar that shook the stadium.

"YOU'RE KIDDING ME! THERE ARE **MORE** LEGENDARY BIRDS?!" Dami shouted in complete denial.

Yellow pulled a very spiky crystal out of his sleeve. "Predictable." After throwing it at his Empoleon, Napo sprung to life!

"EMPOOOOOOOO!!!" The penguin Pokemon squawked with conviction.

Netami screamed with rage. "NOT FAIR! I DIDN'T WANT ANYONE TO USE ITEMS IN THIS BATTLE!"

Yellow frowned at the possessed Gym Leader. "This battle ended when Dami's Noctowl defeated your Zapdos. She's proven that she's a capable trainer. Now you must answer to my Empoleon, Napo! By using a Max Revive crystal, Napo is ready for more!"

Dami fumed at Yellow. "NOW HOLD ON! I thought you said you were OUT of Revive crystals!"

Yellow wagged his finger back at Dami. "I **was**. I did, however, have a couple of Max Revive crystals leftover from the last time I went spelunking in Sinnoh's underground. Never thought I'd be using them in **this** situation, however…"

"I'VE HAD IT WITH **BOTH** OF YOU! HO-OH! USE SACRED FIRE AND **BURN THE WILLPOWER OUT OF THEIR SOULS!!**" Netami roared at the phoenix. The bird exploded in a flash of yellow light as it charged towards the challenger side of the stadium.

Yellow grinned slyly from ear to ear. "Checkmate. NAPO! USE WATERFALL!" Napo aimed its beak at the ground and fired an intense stream of water, causing it to go airborne! As Napo flew, it began to spin at high speeds, surrounding itself with water, becoming a torpedo at the charging Ho-oh.

The attack hit Ho-oh like an uppercut to someone's chin. At the moment the attack connected, it seemed as though Ho-oh came out of a trance. It then stared angrily at its summoner. "W-W-W-WAIT A MINUTE! I'M YOUR MASTER! **YOU MUST DO AS I SAY!**"

Ho-oh wasn't convinced. Much to everyone's surprise, it spoke in a booming voice! "YOU ARE NO MASTER OF MINE! **BEGONE, DEMON!!**" Once again, Ho-oh exploded in yellow light, but instead charged at Netami! The Sacred Fire lived up to its name, as Ho-oh severed the link between Falkner and Netami.

"CURSE YOU, CHOSEN ONE! I MAY HAVE FAILED, BUT MASTER GEKIRIN IS SLOWLY GAINING POWER USING THE RED-HAIRED BOY! THE OTHER FIVE WILL ALSO SERVE TO SLOW YOU DOWN WHILE GEKIRIN BECOMES INVINCIBLE! YOU WILL DIE IN THE WORLD OF POKEMON AND WE ONI WILL RULE EVERY PLANE OF EXISTENCE!!" In a puff of purple smoke, Netami vanished completely.

-

When the smoke cleared, Falkner came to. "Ugh… what the hell happened? It's like I was trapped inside of my own body while someone else controlled it…" Falkner opened his eyes and saw the carnage that ravaged his gym. "OH NO! MY FATHER'S GYM! If he came back right now, I'm sure he'd disown me or KILL ME!" Falkner dropped to his knees and wept. "HOW COULD THIS HAVE HAPPENED?!"

Dami placed a hand on his shoulder. "It's not your fault, Falkner. It's mine."

Falkner looked up, barely seeing Dami's outline, as she stood directly between him and the sun. "You… it was your voice I heard above all the screaming…"

"You were possessed by a demon that embodied the deadly sin of Envy. She possessed you because you were jealous of other trainer's Pokemon. She was here… because she followed me." Tears fell from Dami's eyes as she explained everything. "And what happened at Bellsprout Tower was my fault, too. This red-haired boy named Silver was also possessed by a demon of nightmares; one who embodies the sin of Wrath. I wish there was a way I can make it up to you…" Dami's tears fell like raindrops to the ground at Falkner's feet.

Falkner stood up and grabbed Dami's hand. "So, those demons came here and started possessing people because of YOU?!" His voice shook with rage as he squeezed Dami's hand. "Now that you mention it, there IS something you can do…"

Dami winced at the pain. "Fight through the pain, Dami… You deserve it…"

When Falkner finally let go of Dami's hand, she discovered that he placed something in it. Dami opened her hand and saw a small object, no bigger than an inch in diameter, shaped like a hexagon that appeared to be a pair of wings. "There is something you can do. Take the Zephyr Badge. It will give a small boost to your Pokemon's attack power."

Dami held out her hand back in Falkner's direction. "I can't accept this…"

"NONSENSE!" Falkner cried out before composing himself. "Ahem… You must accept the Zephyr Badge. You'll need it if you're going to get rid of those demons. That is what I'm entrusting you to do. I cannot leave Violet City when it's in this sorry shape. Bellsprout Tower nearly burned to the ground, my father's gym almost destroyed… The last thing this city needs is its only Gym Leader to leave." Falkner then turned his attention to all the injured Pokemon on the field. "I was foolish to go after Kanto's legendary trio. Such power wasn't meant to be wielded by mere trainers. Before I start reconstruction on Violet City, I must return them all home, Winona included. I see now that I must trust in my father's bird Pokemon for true victory."

Falkner was then interrupted by the other defendant, Yellow. "Excuse me, but if reconstruction is to start right away, then you need to stay here. I'll send them all home."

Falkner frowned. "You were wrongly accused by me! You've already done enough! If it weren't for your Blastoise and Empoleon, Bellsprout Tower would have been nothing more than a memory!"

Yellow smiled. "Hey! It's no problem! I was just visiting Johto for nostalgia's sake! I can take care of everything." He then turned to Dami. "Besides, it looks like you don't need much help becoming a Pokemon Trainer anymore! I think you can make it to Azalea Town fine on your own!"

"Azalea Town?" Dami turned her head sideways.

"Ah, sorry. I keep forgetting that you're new here." Yellow then pointed west. "Once you reach the westernmost edge of Violet City, go straight south. You'll cross through a cave, and before you know it, POOF! You'll be in Azalea Town. That's where you'll need to go for your next Gym Badge." Yellow gave Dami a big hug. "Don't worry. I'll meet you in Azalea Town once I've taken care of Winona and the birds." As he whispered in Dami's ear, he then gave her a peck on the cheek. Dami turned bright red and nearly fainted. "I can't thank you enough for what you did today, Dami. My Zangoose would have been cooked if it weren't for you." Yellow threw a Poke Ball in the air and said, "Use Fly. Let's get everyone home."

In a quick sweep of the wind, Yellow, Winona, and the Pokemon vanished.

--

Whew! It's finally finished! My brain was exploding with so many ideas that I almost went onward too far! In case you were wondering, yes; I AM going to pull in other trainers to assist the Johto Gym Leaders throughout Dami's adventure. And will their appearance all be justified? Maybe.

Please Read and Review!

Keep reading for the next Chapter: What's Bugging Bugsy?


	5. CH 05: What's Bugging Bugsy?

Dreams Are What Pokemon Are Made Of

A Dreams Are What Life is Made Of / Pokemon Fanfiction.

This is only for use on . Do NOT publish as your own work.

All Pokemon Characters, Items, and Locations are copyrighted to Nintendo, Creatures, and Game Freak. Their permission was not asked for when writing this work, but this story is NOT intended for profit, but solely for entertainment.

All DAWLIMO Characters are mine.

Does everybody got that?

Good! On with the story!

**Chapter 5: What's Bugging Bugsy?**

Dami fixed the Zephyr Badge to her coat as she made her way to Violet City's Pokemon Center. She still had trouble believing that a few minutes ago, she and Yellow were fighting for their lives against two Gym Leaders, one of which was possessed by Netami the Envy. "Probably, most Pokemon trainers could go their whole lives without seeing a Legendary Pokemon, let alone Four!" Dami thought to herself. Her Pokemon sustained great injuries in the epic showdown. With the exception of her newly evolved Noctowl, she wondered if the rest of her Pokemon were even alive!

She sat quietly in the Pokemon Center's lobby, waiting for some sign that her Pokemon survived the brutal confrontation. Dami then heard the 5-note tone, indicating that Nurse Joy had finished her job. The nurse approached the counter with Dami's Pokeballs in a tray. "That must have been one heck of a battle at the Gym, because it was touch-and-go for a while there!"

Dami seized the tray with anxiety. "JUST TELL ME MY POKEMON ARE GOING TO BE OKAY!"

Nurse Joy winced a little. "Most of your Pokemon are fine, but…"

Dami's eyes widened with fear. "BUT? BUT WHAT?"

Nurse Joy pressed a button on one of the Pokeballs, releasing…

"SENTINELLA!" The unfortunate Sentret had no fur left. She had several scorch marks all over her naked, pink body.

"Even Burn Heals can't regrow burnt fur. I'm very sorry, Dami." Nurse Joy's eyes teared up with sympathy.

Sentinella looked up with tears in its eyes. "Sentrii…" It choked.

Dami gave the battle-scarred Pokemon a big hug. "I'm so sorry that this happened to you! If I just had confidence in myself, this wouldn't have happened!"

Nurse Joy then commented, "Chances are, having no fur is going to affect its confidence in battle. I recommend that you store it on your PC until its fur grows back before you send it into battle again."

Dami glared at Joy. "I WILL NOT ABANDON SENTINELLA IN HER TIME OF NEED!"

Joy began to sweat. "Well, I do have one POSSIBLE alternative…"

Dami narrowed her eyes. "I'm listening…"

Joy reached under the counter and pulled out a small device that looked like a Pokeball, only flatter, two inches across, with a one-inch black and white screen with three buttons underneath it. "This is a prototype Pokemon Trainer's tool called a Pokemon Pedometer Walker, or Pokewalker for short. It will allow you to take Sentinella with you without taking up a space on your Pokemon team. Sentinella will also be able to gain experience as you continue to walk, but only gain one level at a time. Occasionally, Watts that you earn by walking can be used to find Pokemon you wouldn't normally be able to find anywhere else using the Pokeradar function, or find hidden items using the Itemfinder function. I hope this will do…"

The smile returned to Dami's face. "I think it will! Thank you, Nurse Joy!" Dami pressed the large button on the Pokewalker twice, and Sentinella and its Pokeball vanished in an invisible red beam of light. "Okay! I'm off to Azalea Town!"

Nurse Joy smiled back. "Good luck!"

Dami travelled west, trying to follow Yellow's directions. She didn't get far, as the path seemed to dead end with a giant tree blocking the way. "Oops! I guess I went too far! I guess I should backtrack and head south!"

Dami travelled through a building, and found herself in an area that looked like ruins from an ancient civilization. "Umm… Is… THIS… Azalea Town?"

"GAH! YOU'RE A COMPLETE MORON! OF COURSE THIS ISN'T AZALEA TOWN!" shouted a shrill and unforgiving voice.

"WHO'S A MORON? SHOW YOURSELF!" Dami shouted back.

Emerging from behind a rugged rock was a man, standing six-feet tall, wearing a green muscle shirt and black shorts. He wore black and blue moccasins, and had short, spiky brown hair. His eyes were blue, and he was quite muscular. Dami had to stifle a laugh, as the man had huge ears, like a monkey! "I don't know why I should answer to you! You come in the Ruins of Alph, thinking it's Azalea Town like a dumb blonde! Is your hair dyed FROM blonde, or what?"

"Man! You are rude! You hide behind a boulder and call insults at me! My name is Dami Owl. I'm a rookie Pokemon Trainer who just earned her first Gym Badge in just a few short days! Now WHO THE HELL ARE YOU, MONKEY BOY?" she demanded.

"WHO TOLD YOU MY NAME?" He seemed suddenly paranoid.

"Monkey Boy?" she questioned.

"NO! Just… Monkey. Monkey Edge…" He mumbled.

"Edge? Are you related to Yellow?" Now Dami was the surprised one!

"You met Yellow?" His grumpy face suddenly turned into a cheesy, monkey-like grin. "Well WHY DIDN'T YOU SAY SO?"

"Because you were being rude before, Monkey!" Dami scolded.

"I must apologize then. I get a little hot-headed when I don't have all the facts." He then wiped the sweat off of his face. "But I was correct earlier; you wandered into the Ruins of Alph, not Azalea Town."

"Yeah, you said that already." Dami said.

"Did not. I told you just now." Monkey said indignantly.

Dami nearly pulled her hair out. "RRRGH! Anyway, what are you doing here?"

"Well, I heard somewhere that people can smash rocks in the ruins here to find Pokemon Fossils! I'm hoping to find some, bring them to the lab in Cinnabar Island, and revive them into living Pokemon! TEE HEE HEE!" Monkey giggled with delight.

"Smashing rocks in ruins? Isn't that sacrilege?" Dami said in horror.

"Nah! Pokemon Trainers do it all the time! So far, my search has been fruitless, but I'm not giving up! Keep at it, Croagunk! Smash that rock over there!" Monkey commanded a small, humanoid-like frog with dark blue skin, inflatable orange cheeks, and yellow eyes. With one chop from its black forepaws, the boulder Monkey climbed from behind shattered, revealing a small, translucent-yellow rock with a mosquito trapped inside. "YES! Old Amber! This is exactly what I was looking for! This mosquito HAS TO contain the DNA of the extinct Pokemon Aerodactyl! I have to get to Cinnabar Island at once!"

"NOT SO FAST, YOU THIEF!" Monkey soon found his head trapped in a butterfly net.

"Um… This is annoying. Buzz off, kid. You're bothering me." Monkey said calmly.

Dami then saw the kid Monkey was talking about; He stood about four feet tall, had indigo colored hair, arranged on his head like a mop. He wore short, green khaki clothes with a yellow ascot. His shoes were brown and his eyes were lavender. "Annoying or not, you are stealing artifacts from these ruins, and you must go to jail for your crimes!"

"On whose authority, squirt?" Monkey growled.

The kid smirked. "No one's authority except my own; I'm Bugsy, leader of the Azalea Town Gym! I study Bug Pokemon primarily, but I study archaeology as a hobby! As Azalea's Gym Leader, I have the authority to arrest you on suspicion of ruin desecration and larceny!"

"Get this net off of me or I will let my Croagunk give you a taste of its POISON JAB, NOW!" He turned a casual threat into an attack command in one sentence. Croagunk just stood there, its eyes rolling into the back of its head, foaming at the mouth. "WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOU? He has BUG Pokemon! BUGS!"

Bugsy grinned. "His Anticipation serves him well! It knows that I have Flying bugs on my team!"

"FLYING BUGS? ARE YOU SERIOUS?" Monkey's jaw dropped to the ground.

"I am. Right, Scyther?" Bugsy released his signature Pokemon in a heartbeat. The dinosaur-like mantis had giant scythes for claws and sharp wings. "SCYTHAAA!" It screeched.

Monkey then began to laugh. "AHA! That's right! I completely forgot! I HAVE A SCYTHER, TOO!" He then unleashed his own, which had an x-shaped scar between its eyes. "SCYTHEERRRR…" It hissed.

Bugsy then frowned. "You knew you might get caught, so you brought Pokemon that CAN fight! I think I can add attempted battery to your charges!"

"STOP IT! BOTH OF YOU!" Dami had enough. "I don't know what's going on between you, but I'm just trying to get to Azalea Town and no one is giving me directions!"

Bugsy then giggled. "Didn't you hear me the first time? I'm Azalea's Gym Leader! I can lead you there while I drag this maggot down to the Slowpoke Well!"

"I'LL SHOW YOU A MAGGOT! SCARFACE! USE QUICK ATTACK!" Monkey furiously ordered his Scyther to attack Bugsy's. The Gym Leader's Pokemon had the upper claw, as it countered with Wing Attack without being ordered to. Scarface fell in an instant. "Aw, HELL NO! THAT WASN'T SUPPOSED TO HAPPEN! CROAGUNK! POISON JAB THAT SCYTHER!" The Croagunk continued to foam at the mouth. "WAKE UP, YOU COWARD!"

"Don't have any Gym Badges? Too bad! Looks like it won't listen to you! I'm bringing you in!" Bugsy's net then contracted around Monkey's neck, suffocating him into unconsciousness.

Dami then ripped the net. "Leave him alone! He was just trying to find fossils to revive on Cinnabar Island… Whatever THAT means… He says all Pokemon trainers do it."

Bugsy's expression turned serious. "You'll believe anything he says, won't you? I guess you're just HIS ACCOMPLICE!"

Dami's expression changed. "What? NO! I just met him a few minutes ago! The only reason I know him is…"

"ENOUGH! Kakuna! Use Poison Sting on the girl!" Bugsy swapped Pokemon so fast that Dami didn't have time to react. A small, yellow Pokemon with black eyes, and a hard cocoon-like body with immobile claws, shot purple needles from the tip of its tail, nailing Dami in her bare midriff. Dami reached out to Bugsy, hoping for some semblance of reason before she passed out.

When Dami came to, she found that she was surrounded by puddles on a wet stone floor. She noticed that there were stone walls surrounding her on all but one side, and the walls reached upward for at least a dozen feet. The section without a wall seemed to go back into a large cavern. Dami checked her belt and found that she still had her Pokemon. She sighed with relief.

"Well, THAT'S JUST GREAT! I spelunk for fossils, and you distract me long enough for the twerp of a Gym Leader to arrest me! I should have knocked you out with my Croagunk when I had the chance!" Monkey ranted nonstop from deep within the cave.

"Where are you Monkey? Is there a way out of here?" Dami tried to call to him.

"Normally, there's a ladder which reaches to the exit, but that asshole Bugsy pulled the ladder up when he dumped us down here! We're trapped!" Monkey was inconsolable.

"Maybe there's some other way in the cave! I'll come to you as soon as I can!" Dami got off of the ground and headed into the cave.

"Waitaminute!" Monkey said suddenly, "Who are you? Wait! They took my Pokemon! I'm unarmed! LEAVE ME ALONE! YYEEEAAAAARRRGGGGHHHHH!"

When Dami heard this, she decided to run towards the sound of Monkey's shrill voice, hoping that he was okay. When her eyes adjusted to the darkness, she saw Monkey face down on the cave floor, surrounded by people in black uniforms with a big, red letter 'R' emblazoned on their chests. "What a pathetic weakling! It's like he started training Pokemon yesterday!" The leader of the bunch had a black hat and green hair beneath it. "Maybe we should chop off his legs, just like the tails of these worthless Slowpoke!"

"STOOOOP!" Dami shouted, "How dare you kick a man while he's down?"

The leader turned to Dami in an instant. "Well, well, well… Looks like we have ourselves another trainer to deal with. I hope this one has Pokemon at least, so I feel good about trouncing her…"

"Fat chance! I have a Gym Badge, so I won't lose to the likes of you!" Dami reached for her belt.

"Aw, isn't that cute? She thinks she can beat Team Rocket just because she has one measly badge!" The leader then grabbed his own Pokeball. "This won't take long, boys. Proton doesn't need help to take down a little girl! GO, ZUBAT!"

Dami sent out Azula in retaliation.

"Use Leech Life!"

"Use Leech Life!"

After a few attacks, both Dami and Proton realized the battle was going nowhere.

"Zubat! Show no mercy! Screw up the other Zubat's echolocation with Supersonic!" Proton growled.

"Azula! Dodge and counter with your own Supersonic!" Dami called out.

Their Supersonic attacks cancelled each other out. "You're pretty good, chickie-poo. Too bad I don't play fair! GO, KOFFING!"

Out came a purple, sea-mine shaped Pokemon with a goofy face and a stylized skull and crossbones on its chest. "KOFF-Iiiiinnng!" It coughed out loud.

Dami stood her ground. "Two Vs. One isn't nearly fair! I better send out another one, too! Go, GRANITOR!" Her Geodude crashed right into Proton's Koffing, causing the Pokemon to spray out poisonous gases upon hitting the ground.

Proton quickly covered his mouth to avoid inhaling Koffing's gases. "Damn it! Where'd you learn to fight like that?"

Dami smiled. "Yellow Edge. You might have heard of him. GO, AZULA! ASTONISH THE ENEMY ZUBAT!"

Azula charged at the enemy Zubat with such speed that it didn't have time to dodge! Zubat took a critical hit from Azula's surprise attack! "WHAT THE F~!..."

Dami twisted her cap and said, "Finish it, Azula! BITE!" With its fangs, Azula went straight for Zubat's wings, causing it to lose altitude fast. It crashed with an awful shriek.

Proton yelled, "That's enough! GET HER, GRUNTS!"

"Yeah, you wish. DARKLORD! Use TRICK ROOM!" Shouted a familiar voice.

All of a sudden, the Grunts were running much slower! "Who dares?" Proton yelled.

"The guy you thought was unarmed!" Monkey got off the ground, revealing the Pokeball he hid in his shoe. "My Gengar Darklord is more than a match for you cretins! BLOW THEM AWAY WITH SHADOW BALL!"

Just then, a shadow appeared underneath all the Grunts, causing a black and purple ball of energy to come up beneath each of them. The last thing the Grunts saw was a pair of red eyes and a wide grin. "Geeen-gaaaaaaa!" KABOOM! The Grunts evaporated before Proton's eyes.

"HOLY SHIT! Now I know who you are! You're… you're…" Proton stuttered with fear.

"That information is classified. Get the F~ out of my sight before I send you to hell as well." Monkey said in a cold voice.

Proton growled. "You haven't heard the last of Team Rocket! We're coming back in a big way! You'll be the ones blasting off soon!" He threw a smoke ball to the ground and vanished by the time the smoke cleared.

Monkey calmly recalled Darklord to his Pokeball. "Hmph. I can't believe Team Rocket has returned after being disbanded three years ago…"

Dami grabbed Monkey's shoulder. "Okay, mister. You owe me an explanation. Who are you, who is Team Rocket, and why did you pretend to have no Pokemon?"

Monkey grabbed Dami's hand and gently moved it off his shoulder. "All you need to know is that I'm Yellow's older brother Monkey. Team Rocket is a criminal organization that was terrorizing the Kanto region three years ago before a young trainer named Red defeated their leader, who then officially disbanded Team Rocket and went into hiding. I pretended to run out of Pokemon so I could wipe them out when they turned their backs on me. I always try to keep an ace in the hole just in case."

They both heard Bugsy's voice calling from the top of the Slowpoke Well. "Hey! 'Ace-in-the-hole' and lost girl! Get your asses up here! I've decided to put you two on trial for your crimes against the Ruins of Alph! I hope you didn't waste your best Pokemon on those Rockets!"

Okay. Time to wrap this chapter. I got caught up playing Soul Silver and Black the last couple of years, so I totally ignored working on this. For those looking forward to this chapter, I apologize that it took so long. Hopefully my next chapter won't take as long.

And so, another Gym Leader is putting Dami on trial for crimes she didn't commit! With wild card Monkey as her battle partner, will she be able to best Bugsy's bugs? Or is a royal flush in the hands of the dealer? Is there any chance Bugsy will be possessed by an oni?

Find out in Chapter 6: Turnabout Azalea Town!


End file.
